KUNMING -- A group of 16 Chinese volunteers set off for the quake-hit Myanmar on Saturday morning to provide assistance in disaster relief and rescue efforts.

The volunteers, all experienced members of the Blue Sky Rescue team — a Chinese civil relief squad — departed from Ruili city in Southwest China's Yunnan province, which borders Myanmar, at around 9:30 am.

Equipped with emergency relief supplies, including first aid kits, power generation and lighting facilities, and demolition tools, they traveled in a convoy of five vehicles.

"We are the first team and will be followed by a second and a third team," said Gao Hengyi, head of the Ruili branch of BSR.

They followed a 37-member rescue team sent by Yunnan province, which arrived in Myanmar earlier on Saturday morning.