China is trying to bring more Chinese citizens home from Nepal as rescue work enters the third day, authorities said on Tuesday.[Special coverage]
A total of 1,799 Chinese citizens stranded in Nepal following Saturday's 8.1-magnitude earthquake had been brought home by Monday night, according to the China National Tourism Administration. Most were in the country for tourism.
There are 12 flights planned between China and Nepal on Tuesday, flying to Kathmandu from Chengdu, Kunming, Guangzhou and Lhasa. Three cargo aircraft will also fly to Nepal from Beijing for relief missions.
On Monday alone, four Chinese airlines returned 776 Chinese citizens with 14 flights operated between Nepal and China.
Following the earthquake, a 62-member Chinese search and rescue team, plus six dogs, was sent to Nepal's capital Kathmandu, according to the China Earthquake Administration. Their plane was loaded with 20.5 tonnes of relief materials.
The Chinese government has also decided to provide 20 million yuan (3.3 million U.S. dollars) in humanitarian aid to Nepal, the Ministry of Commerce said on Sunday. The aid, including supplies of tents, blankets and generators, will be delivered to Nepal by chartered planes, the ministry said. China will offer further support according to Nepal's demands.
The death toll from Saturday's earthquake in Nepal has climbed to 4,264 people, including 20 mountaineers. More than 7,000 others were injured, according to the National Emergency Operation Center of Nepal's Home Ministry on Tuesday morning.
As aid and support from China begins to reach Nepal after Saturday's earthquake, domestic relief and rescue efforts are also intensifying in southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region.
The death toll in Tibet from the quake rose to 25 with 117 injured, authorities said late Monday. More than 20,000 were displaced in the high-altitude region and relief efforts have been thwarted by bad weather.
