At the request of Myanmar, China dispatched a search and rescue team to the earthquake-stricken areas on Saturday morning to carry out international rescue operations.

According to the Ministry of Emergency Management, the rescue team has already departed from Beijing on a chartered Air China flight heading to the disaster areas.

On Friday, a 7.9 magnitude earthquake struck Myanmar, resulting in significant casualties and property damage.

Xinhua News Agency, citing SAC information team, reported that as of Saturday, 1,002 people have died, 2,376 have been injured, and many are missing across all affected regions in the country.

According to a news release from the Ministry of Emergency Management, the Chinese rescue team consists of 82 members.

They are equipped with rescue gear and materials to make every effort to assist Myanmar in emergency rescue and relief efforts, it said.