A 54-MEMBER medical team from Singapore arrived on Saturday on the Indonesian island of Sumatra to help with recovery efforts in the aftermath of a deadly earthquake, the defence ministry said.

The medical team from the Singapore Armed Forces, including orthopaedic and general surgeons, anaesthetists, medics and nurses, has set up a facility in the coastal town of Pariaman to provide aid, it said in a statement Sunday.

Pariaman is located 50 kilometres north of Padang, a devastated city of one million at the centre of rescue efforts.

On Friday, Singapore sent a 42-member team from the civil defence force to Padang to help with the rescue operations and also transported 50,000 US dollars worth of tents, blankets and medical supplies.

Last Wednesday, a powerful 7.6-magnitude quake rocked Sumatra island in the west of the country, burying thousands and devastating the city of Padang and surrounding villages. -- AFP