A Russian medic carries quake survivor Zhou Yuhui to a ward at a mobile hospital in Pengzhou, Sichuan, yesterday.

More locally sourced disaster-relief supplies were loaded on a train bound for Sichuan from Tianjin municipality on Tuesday.

The supplies, consisting of 200 tents, will arrive today. On Sunday, 1,500 tents were sent to Sichuan from Tianjin, an office worker with the Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM), told China Daily yesterday, on condition of anonymity.

"The supplies were locally purchased with money donated by the United Kingdom. The UK government has promised to offer another 1 million pounds ($2 million) for supplies to be sourced from international markets," the MOFCOM worker said.

Tents, medical equipment and other goods are in desperate need in the earthquake-stricken regions, Dong Qing, an MOFCOM official, said.

Tianjin has an adequate production of tents, and MOFCOM officials do not rule out the possibility of more tents from the municipality.

"The supply of tents is really tight domestically. If someone can figure out where to get 3,000 tents now, we would be very grateful," Wang Ning, an official with China International Center for Economic and Technical Exchanges, said. The center helps MOFCOM source relief supplies and arranges transport.

Thirty-two years ago, Tianjin was also hit by an earthquake. Today, the city is sparing no efforts in offering its help to Sichuan.

A further 5,000 tents and satellite communications equipment, valued at about 1 million pounds, is expected to arrive in Chengdu in the next few days, the British Embassy in Beijing, said.

Ambassador William Ehrman said the first donation - channeled through the China Association for NGO Co-operation - was already funding the purchase of tents, food, water and medical equipment.

British companies are also making sizeable donations which have so far amounted to some 2.5 million pounds.

(China Daily May 22, 2008)