Singapore sends relief team to China

SINGAPORE -- Singapore will deploy an overseas rescue contingent on Friday to China's quake-stricken Sichuan province, the Foreign Ministry said.

At China's request, Singapore will send the 55-member Disaster Assistance Rescue Team (DART) contingent to Chengdu, capital of Sichuan province, to assist the local authorities in their search and rescue efforts, said a statement from the Foreign Ministry.

The team, led by LTC Francis Ng How Juah, Commander of Singapore's 4th Civil Defense Division, is scheduled to set off for China on Friday morning.

Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on Tuesday sent a condolence letter to Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao, saying "Singapore stands ready to help in any way possible", including sending its Disaster Assistance Rescue Teams, if China thinks they will be useful to its recovery work.

A 7.8-magnitude earthquake rocked southwest China's Sichuan Province on Monday afternoon. As of 4 pm Thursday, around 50,000 people were feared dead and the confirmed death toll in Sichuan alone was 19,509.