China sends new relief materials to Myanmar -- china.org.cn

A special big aircraft carrying relief materials worth of about US$500,000 from China arrived at the Yangon International Airport Friday morning as the country's second-batch of such aid materials airlifted to Myanmar.

The another 60-ton relief supplies, laden by Boeing 747-400 aircraft, mainly include medicine, tent, food and drinking water purifier.

The aid constitutes part of the fresh emergency aid of 30 million Chinese renminbi yuan.

Myanmar Deputy Minister of Social Welfare, Relief and Resettlement Brigadier-General Kyaw Myint told Xinhua at the scene that Myanmar thanks China again for the fresh aid, saying that these relief supplies, along with those arriving from several other countries and regions, are being hurriedly transported to the cyclone-hit regions.

The same special Chinese aircraft had earlier brought 60-tons of relief supplies as the first batch worth of 500,000 dollars to Yangon on Wednesday as part of a one million dollars' emergency relief aid to cyclone-devastated Myanmar. The one million dollars also include emergency money aid of 500,000 dollars.

The first batch of relief supplies was made up of compressed food, tents and blankets among others.

More relief materials from China will arrive at the Yangon airport Saturday, the Chinese official sources said.

The deadly tropical cyclone Nargis, which occurred over the Bay of Bengal, severely hit last weekend five divisions and states -- Yangon, Bago, Ayeyawaddy, Kayin and Mon, covering such coastal towns in southwestern Ayeyawaddy division as Haing Gyi Island, Pathein, Myaungmya, Laputta, Mawlamyinegyun, Kyaiklat, Phyarpon and Bogalay, and the biggest city of Yangon and sustaining the heaviest ever casualties and infrastructural damage.

According to an updated death toll released up to Thursday afternoon, A total of 22,997 people have died in the tropical cyclone storm Nargis that swept the five divisions and states.

Altogether 42,119 people remained missing, leaving 14,003 injured.

(Xinhua News Agency May 9, 2008)