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The maritime rescue centre under the Ministry of Communications Sunday sent two salvage ships to help with rescue work in the Taiwan Straits, at the request of Taiwan's rescue centre.

The two ships left the port city of Xiamen, about 322 kilometres from the crash site, Sunday afternoon.

The ministry said that four more salvage ships were ready to take part in rescue work at any time if Taiwan needed help.

Wang Daohan, president of the Association for Relations across the Taiwan Straits, on Saturday expressed deep concern and condolences over the China Airlines crash.

In a letter to the Taiwan-based Straits Exchange Foundation, the association said that it was shocked to learn the crash, which had caused "enormous loss of life and property to Taiwan compatriots."

The association asked the foundation to convey the association's deep condolences over the victims from Taiwan and its sincere sympathy to their families.

The letter said that relevant departments on the mainland were ready to provide assistance whenever the Taiwan side felt this necessary.

In a letter to the association, the foundation said it was willing to help the mainland victims' families visit Taiwan if they wished.

An official from the China Airlines Hong Kong office told China Daily yesterday that the company had contacted 35 relatives of the nine mainland victims through the help of the association.