A second aircraft of the Brazilian Air Force (FAB), carrying humanitarian aid, was en route to Port au Prince, capital of Haiti, after the devastating earthquake hit the Caribbean nation on Tuesday.

The plane, carrying 13 tons of supplies of water, food and medicine, also transfers civil defense professionals, doctors and sniffer dogs to Haiti to help rescue victims. In total, FAB may send eight planes to Haiti.

The Air Force said it was ready to build an "air bridge" between Brazil and Haiti to expedite the dispatch of aid.

The International Federation of Red Cross estimated that 3 million people had been affected by the earthquake.

(Xinhua News Agency January 15, 2010)