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SINGAPORE: Fifty five officers from the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) have arrived in China on Friday to help local authorities in search and rescue efforts.
Monday's 7.9-magnitude quake has left over 22,000 dead, but China said the death toll is expected to exceed 50,000.
Rescuers are still battling landslides, buckled roads and collapsed bridges in their efforts to rescue those trapped under fallen structures.
The Singapore rescue team – codenamed Operation Lion Heart – includes seasoned officers from the elite Disaster Assistance & Rescue Team (DART). Four search dogs are also part of this mission.
The team has brought along a host of rescue equipment like fibre-optic scopes, life-detector systems and hydraulic cutters and spreaders.
The Singapore team will link up with local authorities for a briefing before being deployed to assigned areas to carry out search and rescue operations.
The contingent is self-sufficient in terms of food, fuel and equipment as they have packed enough supplies for two weeks.
SCDF maintains a rescue contingent on a 24-hour standby to provide rescue and humanitarian assistance to countries stricken by major disasters.
Since its formation in 1990, they have deployed teams to help tsunami victims in Indonesia and Thailand, as well as quake victims in Pakistan.
- CNA/so
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