(XINHUA/AFP)

Members of the Chinese rescue team prepare in Beijing before boarding their plane on January 13 (CFP)

Buildings destroyed in Haiti's capital Port-au-Prince, 15 km from the epicenter of a devastating 7.0-magnitude earthquake on January 12, above.

Up to 50,000 people are feared dead in the worst temblor to strike the Caribbean island country in 200 years, according to Haitian Red Cross officials.

Chinese President Hu Jintao and Premier Wen Jiabao have pledged humanitarian aid to Haiti, where 142 Chinese police officers are serving on a UN peacekeeping mission. Eight of those officers remained trapped under debris in Port-au-Prince on January 14.

A 50-member Chinese rescue team arrived at Port-au-Prince on January 14 to help the rescue operation. China's Red Cross Society donated $1 million in emergency aid to Haiti.