Rescue & Aid
Altitude remains a challenge for the entire relief operation
(China Daily)
Updated: 2010-04-21 07:17
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A rescuer receives oxygen in Gyegu township of Yushu county on Tuesday. Temporary stations for people to receive oxygen have been set up in the town after some rescuers, reporters and people aff ected by the quake reported suff ering from altitude sickness. ZHANG HONGXIANG / XINHUA
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Forces coping well in situation
BEIJING - Altitude sickness poses the biggest challenge for rescuers from the military and armed police in their efforts to provide relief to quake-stricken Northwest China's Qinghai province, a senior military officer said on Tuesday.
Despite the difficulties of adjusting to the high altitude, no casualties have been reported among the soldiers and armed police, Wang Zhenguo, an officer with the Yushu quake-relief headquarters of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) and armed police, said at a press conference.
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Two soldiers had pulmonary edema or fluid in the lungs after they caught colds and are being treated in hospital, he said.
But the majority of the soldiers only had slight symptoms, such as dizziness and shortness of breath, as the majority of them were young and had previously participated in military operations on plateaus, according to officers attending the press conference.
To cope with altitude sickness, most of the soldiers were told to carry extra medicine as well as oxygen supplies, according to Xie Weikuan, an officer with the PLA General Logistics Department.
As of Tuesday, the department had supplied 5,000 doses of medicine, 100 oxygen concentrators and 145 oxygen tanks to help soldiers cope with altitude sickness, Xie said.
Huang Xueping, spokesman with the Ministry of National Defense, said that nearly 12,800 soldiers and armed police had been sent to Yushu to help with disaster relief.
They have rescued more than 1,560 people and given medical aid to more than 20,000 injured in the quake zone as of Monday, he said.
Huang said China is open to international participation in disaster relief, though foreign rescue teams are not needed in the quake relief effort in Yushu.
"The Ministry of Defense remains open to international cooperation in disaster relief," Huang said.
There is a consensus in the international community that nations should work together to improve their ability to fight disasters, he said.
In this regard, the Chinese armed forces are expected to improve cooperation with their counterparts in other countries.
However, in Yushu the geographic conditions restrict a large force of rescuers from entering the area and the current deployment of troops and police is sufficient to handle the situation, he said.
Huang expressed his appreciation to the countries that extended their condolences to China after the quake struck Yushu last Wednesday and suggested foreign military forces donate funds to help rebuild the area, rather than send rescue teams.
Guo Weimin, director of the press bureau of the State Council Information Office, said some media reports were inaccurate in stating that China did not accept foreign assistance for "other reasons".
Although foreign rescue teams are not required in the situation, China welcomed and appreciated the goodwill of those countries and organizations that had offered to help in the relief work, he said.
Xinhua
(China Daily 04/21/2010 page5)
