A 14-member medical team assigned by the Chinese government arrived in Colombo Sunday at 11:30 p.m. (localtime) to aid tsunami-hit Sri Lanka.

The team is composed of medical workers from Beijing Municipal Center for Disease Control and Prevention and the Beijing Friendship Hospital, including experts on epidemics, internal medicine and orthopaedics.

Some have participated in international medical aid teams in Africa and some have had experience in fighting severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS).

"We will be in a hard bid to relieve pains of the tsunami victims and extend Chinese people's care for them," Wang Bingqiang,head of the medical team told Xinhua on the arrival at the airport.

He said the team have been geared up with sufficient medicines and medical appliances to provide medical service.

Chinese ambassador Sun Guoxiang hailed the team's courage to come to help, while talking to the medics at the airport.

He said the squad will convey Chinese people's concern to the Sri Lankan people as well.

Sri Lanka's Minister of Healthcare and Nutrition Nimal Siripalade Silva was also present at the airport to expect the Chinese group.

He expressed the gratitude to the Chinese government and the people for the aid.

He said the Chinese medics' expertise will surely do good to Sri Lankan people in the aftermath of the disaster.

The Chinese task force is moving to Galle city on the arrival at the airport, where nearly 4,000 were killed, hundreds of injured in the tidal wave hit.

After a one-day preparation break, the team will kick off working progress on Tuesday.

At least 29,729 people have been killed and 16,665 others injured so far in the huge tsunami tragedy triggered by the powerful earthquake off Indonesia on Dec. 26, according to the statistics from the president office.

Source: Xinhua