HICKAM AIR FORCE BASE, Hawaii (AP) — The U.S. Air Force today loaded a cargo jet with tents, lanterns and 15,000 meals to fly to victims of this week's magnitude 7.9 earthquake in China.

It's the first U.S. aid flight for victims of the Sichuan province temblor.

The Hawaii Air National Guard C-17 was expected to arrive at the international airport in Chengdu at 11 a.m. Sunday local time.

A second cargo jet, a C-17 from Elmendorf Air Force Base in Alaska, was due to arrive two hours later after picking up relief supplies in the U.S. territory of Guam.

"This is a mission about people helping people, simply that. It's us reaching out to them in their greatest time of need," said Col. Joe Kim, vice commander of the Hawaii Air Guard's 154th Wing.

The plane is also carrying 1,700 blankets, 3,800 containers of water and hand tools for use in recovery efforts.

The U.S. military bought the relief supplies from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

Maj. Gen. Richard Perraut, 13th Air Force vice commander, said the U.S. was standing by for any other aid requests from China.

The C-17 is expected to fly 14 hours nonstop to Chengdu, refueling twice mid-air.

The official death toll had risen to about 22,069 on Friday, and an additional 14,000 still were buried in Sichuan.

Chinese officials have said the quake's final toll could reach 50,000. More than 4 million apartments and homes were damaged or destroyed in Sichuan.

The Air Force used C-17s to aid victims of a mudslide in the Philippines in February 2006. The plane was also used at home to respond to a major earthquake that struck off the Big Island later that year.