A 35-member Cuban medical team, including surgeons and orthopedists, arrived at the provincial capital of Chengdu on Friday evening. They brought 3 and one half tons of medicine and medical equipment, which were scheduled to arrive on Saturday.

The members are all professionals who have experience responding to natural disasters. They have participated in many international relief operations, including the Southeast Asia tsunami and the massive earthquake in Peru.

The team members were distressed after learning about the powerful quake in Sichuan from media reports, and they wanted to try their best to help with rescue work.

(CCTV May 26, 2008)