Choppers play key role in relief work

Construction of a second heliport on the banks of the Tangjiashan quake lake was completed on Sunday.

Almost immediately afterward, soldiers gave it the tongue-in-cheek moniker: "Tangjiashan's second international airport", because choppers from Russia and China took off from and landed on the banks dozens of times every day, Xinhua News Agency reported yesterday.

The helicopter remains the primary means of transport to and from Tangjiashan - a swelling lake formed when landslides blocked the river, the banks of which are threatening to burst and flood. Large machines, such as bulldozers and excavators, are unable to pass along the roadways and must be airlifted in.