MEXICO CITY, Sept. 8 (Xinhuanet) -- A convoy of the Mexican army on Thursday rolled into the United States with food and medicine to help victims who had lost their homes to Hurricane Katrina, the first move of this kind in Mexico-US relations.

    The convoy took 200 unarmed soldiers and 45 trucks filled with thousands of ready-to-eat meals, drinking water and medical equipment to San Antonio, Texas, where Mexican soldiers will distribute the food and medicine and offer aid to those who were evacuated from the hurricane-torn city of New Orleans.

    The Mexican government also sent a navy vessel to the Mississippi coast area with rescue vehicles and helicopters. It plans to send an additional 12-vehicle convoy to affected regions to help in the disaster relief efforts.

    This is the first time Mexico offers disaster relief help to its powerful neighbor to the north. In the past, Mexico had sent such assistance to other Latin American countries, but never to the United States. Enditem