Six hours after their arrival in Indonesia's tsunami-devastated Banda Aceh, the second batch of Chinese rescuers started work early Wednesday to treat wounded people and assist local hospitals to get back functioning.

After a brief ceremony at the airport of Banda Aceh, the capital city of worst-hit Aceh Province, the rescue team were divided into groups to work in local hospitals or camps for the displaced people.

Liu Yuchen, head of the 35-member Chinese team, said rescue efforts would be gradually shifted from curing the wounded to epidemic prevention and helping rebuild local hospitals.

Liu's team came here to replace the first batch of Chinese rescuers who arrived on Dec. 31, five days after the huge earthquake and tsunamis killed at least 106,000 Indonesians.

The rescuers also brought with them medicine and medical equipment worth about US$217,000, Liu said.

Indonesia is the country worst affected by huge earthquake off its western Sumatra island and the tidal waves it spawned on Dec. 26, accounting for around two-thirds of the dead.

(Xinhua News Agency January 13, 2005)