Chinese Rescue Team En Route to Haiti

A Chinese emergency rescue team arrived in Haiti's capital Port-au-Prince early Thursday local time, to help the rescue operation after an earthquake in which up to 100,000 people are feared dead and eight Chinese are still missing.

Four of the missing Chinese are peace-keepers while the other four are from a six-member working group of the Ministry of the Public Security.

Other Chinese in Haiti including more than 130 peacekeepers and those working for China's trade office, enterprises and other organizations in Haiti, are safe.

Shuang Feng has more.

The Chinese rescue team includes search-and-rescue personnel, doctors, earthquake experts and rescue dogs. It also took 10 tons of food, medicine and rescue equipment with them.

Earthquake expert Wang Zhiqiu told reporters before taking off that the team will begin rescue efforts immediately after landing.

"We will contact UN workers first. Then we will contact the local government and Chinese peacekeeping police. We will join the rescue work immediately."

The team has been part of a series of international rescues, such as the ones following earthquakes in Algeria in 2003 and Pakistan in 2008, as well as after the Indonesia Tsunami of 2004.

Chinese peacekeepers in Haiti are working with locals to support the rescue team. CRI correspondent Guo Yuxiang is in Port-au-Prince now.

"Chinese business envoy in Haiti Wang Shuping is now working with the capital airport to ensure the safe landing of the special plane. After they arrive, our peacekeeping headquarters will provide accommodations for them. Now the major problem is that the control tower has collapsed. Another problem is the communication system. We will use the military facilities of our peacekeeping team."

Meanwhile, Haitian Prime Minister Jean-Max Bellerive is calling for more help.

"We are going to need water, food and medicine. There are a lot of people injured and we have not yet found all those people buried under their houses. And as we continue with this work, we will need a lot of medication and a lot of help."

Cargo planes from around the world are heading for the Caribbean. Also from Guo Yuxiang …

"A Dominican team of five arrived here the earliest this morning. Teams from America, France, Iceland and Porto Rico have arrived too. Twenty-one injured were saved from the debris of the UN envoy headquarters."

China's Red Cross Society has also decided to donate 1 million U.S. dollars in emergency aid.

Shuang Feng, CRI news.