The Chinese government announced that it send a rescue team to tsunami-ravaged Indonesia Thursday to help emergency aid efforts.

According to the State Seismological Bureau, the team will comprise 30 experienced members with rescue equipment and related goods.

"This is the third time that the Chinese International Rescue Team has gone overseas for emergency rescue aid move. It was sent to Algeria and Iran in 2003 when they were tremored by devastating earthquakes," said Zhao Heping, deputy director general of the Bureau and also head of the team.

The bureau also sent a member to Sri Lanka to assist the United Nations personnel to evaluate the disaster, he said.

Also on Thursday, a Boeing 747 plane carrying 50 tons of relief goods left Guangzhou in south China for tsunami-stricken Indonesia, said an official of the Ministry of Commerce.

The destination is Medan, capital of North Sumatra, Indonesia, according to the China Southern Airlines that operates the cargo flight.

This is the second batch of relief goods China has sent to the tsunami-hit countries in south and southeast Asian countries. The first batch of 100-ton cargoes was airlifted to Colombo, capital of Sri Lanka, Wednesday morning.

The two batches of relief goods, worth 21.63 million yuan (US$2.62 million), are mainly tents, blankets, sheets and food that are badly needed by the people affected by the tsunami.

On Dec. 26, a tsunami, caused by a 8.7 magnitude earthquake, rock many coastal countries in south and southeast Asia and Africa. According to reports, deadly tidal waves have killed at least 80,000 local residents and tourists. In Indonesia, the death toll has reached 33,000.

(Xinhua News Agency December 31, 2004)