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Soldiers of China’s People’s Liberation Army on Nepal mission
April 27, 2015, 9:16 am

A PLA Air Force plane, departed from Kunming, capital of southwest China's Yunnan Province with a 55-member team on 27 April 2015 [Xinhua]

A PLA Air Force plane, departed for Kathmandu, Nepal, from Kunming, capital of southwest China’s Yunnan Province with a 55-member team on 27 April 2015 [Xinhua]

A 55-member team of China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) left for Nepal on Monday morning to help with the rescue operation following Saturday’s 7.9-magnitude earthquake. This is the 4th Chinese team in Nepal helping survivors and aiding rescue missions.

A PLA Air Force plane, departed from Kunming, capital of southwest China’s Yunnan Province on Monday with the team.

Another team of 45 soldiers will leave for Nepal on Tuesday. The death toll from the quake has exceeded 3500 even as the Nepali government has urgently appealed for tents and water.

The 100 Chinese soldiers are taking with them recovery vehicles and rescue equipment including life detectors and entry tools as well as sniffer dogs.

The team will aid rescue and relief efforts currently underway in and around Kathmandu.

This is in addition to a 58-member Chinese medical team that arrived in Nepal Monday morning carrying 13 tons of medical aid.

A 62-member Chinese International Search and Rescue Team arrived in Nepal on Sunday and are already assisting in the rescue mission, digging through rubble in search of survivors.

The earthquake struck Nepal at 2:11 p.m. Beijing time on Saturday, followed by a second 7.0-magnitude quake at 2:45 p.m.

An emergency Nepal cabinet meeting has announced 29 districts in the country as crisis zones, according to the Home Ministry.

The powerful quake also jolted neighboring India and Bangladesh.

Amid the devastating disaster, the government of Nepal has appealed for assistance from the international community. Neighbouring India has stepped up efforts to aid the survivors with tonnes of relief material sent through Indian Air Force planes.

“IAF’s C-17 a/c carrying relief material that got airborne this morning returns to Palam due to congestion’ at Kathmandu,” tweeted Sitanshu Kar, Indian Defense Ministry spokesperson on Monday afternoon.

Four Chinese nationals, including two workers with a Chinese company, a mountain climber and a tourist, were killed and five others seriously injured in the quake, the Chinese Embassy has confirmed.

 

TBP and Agencies