The National Museum of China formally acknowledged the Shenyang fire brigade's contributions from the May 12 earthquake on Monday.

The group donated items used during the rescue and relief operations after the Sichuan earthquake, including a team flag, a protective suit and a diary written by a rescue worker, China News Service reported.

A special service team from the fire brigade in Shenyang, the capital of northeastern China's Liaoning Province, was the first rescue squad on the scene in quake-battered Beichuan, the county hit hardest by the 8.0 magnitude earthquake.

These items are the first relics the national museum has gathered in the aftermath of the earthquake, which claimed more than 69,000 lives and left thousands missing.