About 4,500 Chinese soldiers, to be sent by air to the quake-striken Wenchuan county for emergency aid, boards the aircrafts at an airport in central China's Kaifeng, Henan Province, Tuesday morning, May 13, 2008. [Photo: Xinhuanet]
China's air force has been ordered to parachute relief troops into Wenchuan, the epicenter of Monday's huge earthquake, if weather conditions block helicopter landings.
The General Staff Department (GSD) of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) issued the order early on Tuesday in an effort to speed up the deployment of rescuers.
A 7.8-magnitude earthquake struck Wenchuan County of southwest China's Sichuan Province on Monday afternoon, and at least 9,219 people are known dead, according to the Ministry of Civil Affairs.
As of 8 a.m. on Tuesday, relief troops were still unable to reach the victims as roads to Wenchuan were blocked, the military emergency office said.
Rain has further complicated matters as it has made flight conditions difficult for planes and helicopters.
The GSD ordered at 9 a.m. that 10,000 relief troops stationed in the eastern province of Shandong be transported by air instead of rail to Sichuan to save time. Also, civilian aircraft have been mobilized to help with transportation.
The emergency office said about half of the troops were expected to reach the quake area on Tuesday and the rest before Wednesday.