A 21-member medical team left south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region to join rescue operations in the earthquake-hit high-altitude Qinghai-Tibet Plateau Saturday.

The medical team, organized by the Guangxi Red Cross Society, includes Red Cross Society staff, Guangxi People's Hospital medical workers, and volunteers experienced in search and rescue.

"It is a big responsibility but also an honor to join the medical team and I will do my best to treat the injured," said Tang Yumei, a Guangxi People's Hospital doctor.

Another five medical teams organized by the Guangxi Regional Health Department are also ready to head for the quake zone, the department said.

(Xinhua News Agency April 17, 2010)