29 Chinese freed from Sudan set off for home

The 29 Chinese who were freed from abduction by Sudanese rebels set on their way home Wednesday after a 24-hour stay in Nairobi, Kenya.

The Chinese, aboard a commercial flight, took off from the Nairobi Jomo Kenyatta International Airport at 6:30 p.m. local time (15:00 GMT).

The 29 Chinese, who were waiting for the incoming plane at the VIP lounge at the airport, contacted their family members with their computers.

According to Liu Guangyuan, the Chinese Ambassador to Kenya who saw them off at the airport, most of the freed Chinese nationals, especially the old and the frail, will be given business class seats aboard the plane.

They were released by the rebels and taken to the Kenyan capital on Tuesday by a plane chartered by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).

The rescue operation, dubbed as a complete success by the Chinese authorities, has seen the close cooperation between authorities in China, Kenya, Sudan and other parties.

A total of 47 Chinese were in the camp then, among whom 29 were abducted by the assailants while the other 18 managed to fled to neighboring areas. Among the latter, 17 were later found by the Sudanese army and transferred to a safe place, and one was confirmed dead after having been missing for days.

The Sudanese authorities on Tuesday handed over the body of the dead Chinese worker to the Chinese side.