BEIJING — A China-Europe freight train carrying anti-epidemic supplies on May 9 left Wuhan, once hit hard by COVID-19, heading for Belgrade, the capital of Serbia.

The train departed Wujiashan railway container center station at 10 am, loaded with 294.42 metric tons of anti-epidemic supplies such as masks, protective suits, goggles and medical devices, according to the China State Railway Group Co Ltd (China Railway).

The cargo will arrive in Belgrade in 18 days, leaving China from the Alataw Pass in Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, said the China Railway.

In March and April, China sent 3,142 tons of anti-epidemic supplies via China-Europe freight trains to European countries, where the epidemic situation still remains grim.

From January to April, a total of 2,920 China-Europe freight trains transported a cargo of 262,000 TEUs (20-foot equivalent units).

A total of 15 China-Europe freight trains carrying cargo of 1,366 TEUs have set off since their service resumed in Wuhan on March 28.

The resumption contributed to smoothing international industrial chains, fueling work resumption of foreign trade enterprises in Hubei province and the neighboring regions, as well as supporting the global fight against the COVID-19.