Chinese government has immediately employed helicopters as disaster-relief force, but severe weather prevented them from giving prompt help after the 8.0-magnitude quake that jolted southwestern Sichuan Province on May 12, said Industry and Information Technology Vice Minister Xi Guohua on Monday.

He made the remarks in response to reporter question that why China did not provide air resistance immediately after the earthquake.

"It is not that we did not mobilize helicopters," Xi said at a press conference held by the Information Office of the State Council. "We sent our planes, but the weather was so bad that it blocked our assistance efforts."

Military force in Chengdu deployed helicopters on May 12 to disaster-stricken areas, but was stopped by severe weather.

Because of the heavy rain that blackened the sky of epicenter Wenchuan, parachutists were forced to cancel original landing plans on May 13.

Since the first parachutists arrived at Mao County on May 14, China has sent more than 100 helicopters to ship emergency resources such as medicines to quake-hit areas, he said.

(Xinhua News Agency May 19, 2008)