A group of rescue professionals sent by the Japanese government arrived in Chengdu of southwest China's Sichuan Province early Friday and will go to quake-hit areas to assist the rescue work.

The 31 rescuers will go to Guanzhuang Town of Qingchuan County, and another 29 Japanese rescue professionals are expected to arrive Friday afternoon.

Takashi Koizumi, head of the Japanese team, said the disaster in Qingchuan is very severe, and they have yet no idea about the structure of buildings there, but they are very confident about their task.

The Japanese team was the first batch of foreign aid personnel since the 7.8-magnitude earthquake rocked Sichuan Province on Monday afternoon.

The Chinese government has also accepted rescue aid offers from Russia, the Republic of Korea and Singapore, said Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang early Friday morning.

(Xinhua News Agency May 16, 2008)