China on Saturday offered 10 million yuan (US$1.2 million) worth of medical equipment and medicines to Russia as emergency aid for the country's recent tragedy.       

The aid, collected from the whole nation during the past two days, has been loaded at the Tianjin airport and will be sent to Russia this evening, according to Miao Zhanli, manager from a drug company that is responsible for the collection.

Miao said that the aid includes hospital beds, heart electric monitoring equipment and anesthetic machine.

On Sept. 1, more than 30 armed militants took about 1,200 people hostage in a secondary school in Beslan, a town in south Russia's North Ossetia. The crisis ended on the third day after a fierce exchange of gunfire, but left at least 335 dead -- half of them children.

Chinese President Hu Jintao sent a message on Sept. 8 to Russian President Vladimir Putin, strongly condemning the "atrocious terrorist acts." He said that the Chinese government would offer goods to assist those affected by the tragedy and to show China's sympathy and support.

(Xinhua News Agency September 12, 2004)