An Australian Queensland rescue team equipped with sniffer dogs, drills and sonar devices is on the way to New Zealand’s Christchurch to help free people buried in the earthquake rubble, according to a report by Australian Associated Press (AAP) on Wednesday.

The Queensland Urban Search and Rescue Team includes technical rescue officers and paramedics, with an emergency medical team on standby to join them if needed.

Taskforce leader Chief Superintendent John Cawcutt said it was a race against time to rescue people trapped in the rubble of collapsed buildings.

“The next three or four days are really critical. Experience tells us that’s when you’ll have the highest chances of finding survivors,” he told AAP on Wednesday.

“It’s still possible to save people.”

A military plane carrying the team and 22 tonnes of specialised equipment was to leave the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) Amberley Airbase, west of Brisbane at 10a.m. (local time).

Cawcutt said the team included three dogs trained in locating survivors.

“We have a very sensitive acoustic device … it can pick up the tiniest scratch metres down depending on the thickness of the concrete,” he said.

Queensland Premier Anna Bligh said Queensland’s people stood ready to help earthquake victims in New Zealand.

“We know too well the heartbreak of these events and we know how important it is to feel you have the support of others. Queensland will do we can to help New Zealand now,” she said.