An international media delegation left from the Beijing Capital International Airport for southwest China's Sichuan Province Thursday evening after a 7.8-magnitude earthquake struck the region on Monday.

The delegation include 20 media organizations such as the Associated Press, Reuters, the New York Times, media groups from Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan, and mainland media groups including Xinhua News Agency, China News Service and China Daily.

They will go to the hard-hit areas including the Beichuan County in Mianyang City and Deyang City after landing in Sichuan's capital city Chengdu.

The 7.8-magnitude earthquake centered on Wenchuan County occurred on Monday afternoon and affected many parts of the country. The death toll from the powerful earthquake is estimated to exceed 50,000, according to the disaster relief headquarters.

(Xinhua News Agency May 15, 2008)