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Russia Delivers 57 Tons of Aid to Quake-Ravaged China

Two Emergency Situations Ministry planes loaded with humanitarian aid departed Tuesday for the quake-hit Sichuan province in southwest China.

"The Il-76 aircraft took off from Ramenskoye airfield near Moscow and landed at China's Chengdu airport," said ministry spokeswoman Irina Rossius told Interfax.

Some 57 tons of essential goods were delivered, including blankets, canned food and electricity generators.

Russia earlier delivered more than 13 tons of humanitarian aid by plane to Sichuan on April 28, the ministry said.

The 7.0 magnitude earthquake struck Lushan county in southwest China's Sichuan province on April 20, killing about 200 people and injuring more than 12,000. An estimated 100,00o people have been left homeless.

In 2008, an 8.0 magnitude earthquake hit Sichuan province, killing over 70,000 people and displacing 10 million. It was reportedly the worst tremor the country had seen in three decades. China's economic losses amounted to more than $150 billion.

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