PLA helicopters help flood-hit SW China

CHENGDU - The People's Liberation Army (PLA) Chengdu Military Area Command has dispatched helicopters to help with relief work in Wenchuan county in Southwest China's Sichuan province which has been affected by flooding.

An aviation unit dispatched three helicopters with 19 relief workers and 7.5 tons of materials in 12 flights to Caopo Township of Wenchuan county, which suffered downpours and mud-rock flows, according to the area command.

Wenchuan was the epicenter of an 8.0-magnitude earthquake that left 87,000 people dead or missing in 2008.

The unit sent five helicopters on Saturday and another two on Sunday and sent about 11 tons of disaster-relief materials. Injured people, pregnant women as well as trapped residents have been moved to Chengdu city, capital of Sichuan province, for treatment and care, the area command said.

Thunderstorms and rainstorms have wreaked havoc in Sichuan over the past week. The province will see a new round of heavy rainfall in its west areas from Tuesday evening to Thursday with precipitation of more than 300 mm, according to the provincial meteorological administration.