Air Force planes transport earthquake aid to Nepal

Medical staff from Chengdu Military District gather before boarding a IL-76 transportation plane heading for Nepal's capital Kathmandu in Chengdu, April 27, 2015. [Photo/Xinhua]

BEIJING - Four IL-76 planes from the People's Liberation Army (PLA) Air Force left an airport in Chengdu, the capital city of Sichuan province for Nepal's capital Kathmandu on Tuesday, carrying around 90 tons of humanitarian materials, military sources said.

The materials, including tents, blankets and power generators, are the first batch of 180 tons of goods offered by the Chinese government, according to a statement of the Ministry of National Defense Tuesday.

The Chinese government has pledged to provide the 20-million-yuan (about $3.4 million) worth of humanitarian aid to Nepal which was struck by an 8.1-magnitude earthquake on Saturday.

The rest would be transported in the following days, according to the statement.

The Ilyushin IL-76 transport aircraft is a multi-purpose four-engine aircraft widely used in Europe, Asia and Africa. It is commonly used in transport, for airborne refueling or as a command center.

Saturday's earthquake has killed at least 4,359 people, injuring 7,000 others in Nepal, according to the National Emergency Operation Center of Nepal's Home Ministry on Tuesday.

The first patch of four IL-76 transportation planes were dispatched to Nepal on Monday and the planes were already put into use for rescue work in quake-stricken Nepal.

Earlier on Monday, a 55-strong team affiliated with the People's Liberation Army (PLA) left for Nepal to help with rescue operations. Another team of 45 soldiers will leave for Nepal on Tuesday.

The 100 soldiers are taking with them four sniffer dogs, five recovery vehicles and rescue equipment, including life detectors and entry tools.

They are experienced in earthquake rescue missions and participated in operations for the deadly quakes in Wenchuan and Lushan in Sichuan province and Ludian in Yunnan province in recent years.

The team will conduct rescue operations and provide medical aid and psychological counseling after arriving in Kathmandu, Nepal's capital.

Previously, a 62-member Chinese search and rescue team, along with six dogs, arrived in Nepal's capital of Kathmandu on Sunday to become the first international heavy urban search and rescue team in the Himalayan country, according to the China Earthquake Administration.