Four Egyptian military aircraft laden with tons of relief assistance left for China's quake hit southwestern region on Wednesday.

The 50 tons of humanitarian assistance included 200 tents, several thousands of blankets, infant milk powder and medicines, according to Egyptian official sources.

The assistance was provided in accordance with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak's directive to extend humanitarian aid to those affected by the earthquake in China's Sichuan province, the Egyptian MENA news agency reported.

Egyptian Defence Minister Mohamed Hussein Tantawi ordered the departure of the aircraft as part of his country's contribution to alleviate the suffering of those hit by the tremor, the report added.

The death toll in the May 12 earthquake has increased to over 68,000 as of midday Wednesday, according to the State Council Information Office.

Some 364,500 people were injured and nearly 20,000 others are reported missing.

More than 45.61 million people were affected by the deadly 8.0-magnitude quake, and about 15 million have been evacuated, according to the office.

(Xinhua News Agency May 29, 2008)