Destruction and grief have become the predominant images to outsiders in China's quake-battered northern Sichuan Province.

But the quick response of the Chinese government after the 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck on Monday has also impressed members of a media delegation visiting the area.

One member of the group, China resident reporter Chris Buckley, of Reuters, said the government was very quick in responding to the powerful quake.

The government had an advantage in that it could mobilize resources during emergencies, but it seemed that rescue workers were lacking equipment, said Buckley.

"But it could hardly be avoidable as the earthquake is so devastating," said Buckley.

He was most concerned about the temporary accommodation of quake-affected residents, parents who had lost their only children or children who had become orphans in the quake.

Caroline Puel, of French magazine Le Point, said allowing the international media to cover quake-hit areas had shown China's openness.

Wang Ming-Yi, of Taiwan's China Times, expressed concern about the accommodation of quake victims and disease control in affected areas.

The delegation, which left Beijing for Sichuan on Thursday evening, involved at least 20 organizations, including the Associated Press, Reuters, The New York Times, media groups from Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan, and Chinese mainland media groups including Xinhua News Agency, China News Service and China Daily.

The group visited the hard hit areas such as Deyang City and Shifang City after landing in the provincial capital Chengdu. They are scheduled to return to Beijing on Saturday evening.

(Xinhua News Agency May 17, 2008)