(ECNS) -- Members of Ramunion Rescue, a rescue team from Hangzhou, the capital of east China's Zhejiang Province, made emergency rescue preparations Wednesday and will leave Hangzhou today for quake-devastated central Italy.
The team will leave Hangzhou Thursday morning and fly to Rome from the Shanghai Pudong International Airport. In the early hours of Friday, they are set to arrive in Perugia, the area at the quake's epicenter, where they will carry out joint rescue efforts with the local government and other rescue missions.
It will be China's first non-governmental rescue team to go to Italy after a magnitude-6.2 quake struck near Norcia in Umbria in central Italy at around 3:30 a.m. Wednesday local time, leaving more than 150 dead.
He Jun, head of the rescue team, said "We'll do our best to arrive as soon as possible." The quake struck Italy's mountainous area, which could hamper rescue efforts, He added. His team carried rescue gear including dismantling tools, life detectors and X-ray machines. They had also sent a list of other necessary materials to Ramunion's Italian branch.
The quake was estimated to be very devastating because it hit heavily inhabited areas with vulnerable buildings, according to He.
Having participated in a variety of rescue actions in quake-hit regions, including China's Wenchuan, Yushu and Ludian, as well as Nepal and Ecuador, He and two of his colleagues, Fang Zhanxin and Luo Xin, all have vast rescue experience.
Ramunion may send more members to Italy depending on rescue progress and needs. Its Italian branch had sent a team of two doctors and 14 other members to the epicenter area.