Russian rescuers will fly to quake-hit China to take part in search and rescue operations, the Russian Emergency Ministry said Thursday.

"China is ready to accept a group of Russian rescuers and medics for participation in search and rescue operations and clearing the rubble in the country's affected areas. The Russian Emergencies Ministry's Il-76 plane is leaving for China tonight," the Ministry was quoted by the Interfax news agency as saying in a press statement.

A Russian Emergency Ministry aircraft took off from Moscow Tuesday night, carrying 30 tons of humanitarian cargo to China, where a devastating earthquake has claimed over 19,500 lives in its southwestern Sichuan province.

The country delivered Wednesday its second batch of humanitarian aid to the quake-hit areas.

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has sent a message of solace to Chinese President Hu Jintao over the disastrous earthquake.

The earthquake, with a magnitude of 7.8 on the Richter scale, rocked southwest China Monday afternoon.

(Xinhua News Agency May 15, 2008)