Chinese hospital ship arrives in the Philippines

A wounded man receives medical examination on China's navy hospital ship Peace Ark at Leyte Gulf in Philippines, on Nov 24, 2013. [Photo/Xinhua]

BEIJING - China's navy hospital ship Peace Ark arrived in typhoon-hit Philippines on Sunday night and is the first foreign vessel of its kind that has reached there, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang confirmed.

Peace Ark, the first 10,000-ton-class hospital ship in the world, with 300 beds and over 100 medical professionals on board, has been put into use in the Philippines, Qin told a daily news briefing on Monday.

Doctors onboard Peace Ark, together with an emergency medical team sent by the Chinese government and an international rescue team dispatched by the Red Cross Society of China have treated hundreds of patients, the spokesman said.

Chinese medical workers will work closely with their Philippine and international counterparts during the rescue process, Qin said.

Qin also announced that the Red Cross Society of China has delivered a new batch of relief supplies worth 5.4 million yuan, including 2,000 tents and drugs, to the Philippine National Red Cross.

Typhoon Haiyan has killed 5,235 people and injured 23,501 others,the Philippine government said. Another 1,613 people remain missing.