More than 200 Chinese nationals working in Nepal remain trapped after a massive earthquake hit the country on Saturday, China's Ministry of Commerce spokesman said on Tuesday.[Special coverage]
The trapped workers belonged to a hydropower project undertaken by China International Water and Electric Corp. near the China-Nepal border. The project, around 67 kilometers from the quake's epicenter, was severely damaged by the quake, said Shen Danyang, the spokesman.
A team comprised of 16 rescuers from China's Tibet Autonomous Region has managed to reach the damaged project site for rescue work, Shen said, without revealing more details of how the rescue work is progressing.
However, according to quake relief headquarters in Jilung County in Tibet, which is near the damaged site, 25 of more than 200 Chinese stranded in the hydropower station were airlifted to safety on Tuesday afternoon by a Chinese helicopter.
Two of company's staff were confirmed dead.
Meanwhile, Chinese aid workers who were sent for assistance projects in Nepal, are offering what aid they can, such as making shelters from water-proof fabrics, Shen said.
After the quake struck, the Chinese government decided to provide 20 million yuan (3.3 million U.S. dollars) in humanitarian aid to Nepal. The aid included tents, blankets and generators.
Shen said all of the supplies will reach Kathmandu by Wednesday.
According to the latest figures by the Nepal's home ministry, the 8.1-magnitude has so far caused the deaths of 4,264 people and injured more than 7,000. More than 400,000 buildings collapsed in the massive quake and the its aftershocks.
