China sends second batch of emergency aid to Nepal

China's second batch of emergency humanitarian aid for Nepal's mudslide relief efforts arrived in Kathmandu on Tuesday, following devastating mudslides triggered by a glacier collapse on Aug 26.

The shipment weighed about 5.8 metric tons and included urgently needed supplies such as water purification and lighting equipment, genetic testing equipment and drones, according to Luo Feiyu, a staff member with the China International Center for Economic and Technical Exchanges under the Ministry of Commerce.

The supplies were urgently sourced, consolidated and transported overnight through coordination between the Foreign Ministry, the Ministry of Commerce, the General Administration of Customs, the China International Development Cooperation Agency and other departments, Luo said.

Five experts from Shenzhen also departed for the disaster-hit areas in Nepal on Tuesday.

Chinese DNA identification experts will also travel to the affected areas to assist Nepal with its relief efforts, Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said at a regular news conference on Tuesday.

A sudden glacier collapse in Nepal's border area on Aug 26 triggered severe mudslides, causing significant casualties and leaving many people missing in both China and Nepal.

According to the latest figures as of 1 pm on Tuesday from Nepal's National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority, the death toll had risen to 1,003, while 3,916 people remained missing.

As rescue and relief operations continued on the Chinese side of the border, China moved quickly to provide emergency assistance to Nepal.

China has provided $2 million in emergency cash assistance to the Nepalese government, while the Red Cross Society of China has provided $200,000 to Nepal's Prime Minister Disaster Relief Fund, according to the Chinese embassy in Nepal.

The first batch of 13,200 relief items, weighing 50 tons and including tents, blankets, sleeping bags, compressed food and first-aid kits, arrived in Kathmandu on Sunday. Two teams of Chinese tunnel rescue experts have also reached the disaster-hit areas in Nepal.

"Providing emergency assistance to the disaster-hit areas in Nepal and carrying out international rescue cooperation is an important political decision made by China and reflects China's friendship with Nepal," Guo said at a news conference on Tuesday.

He noted that China and Nepal have long maintained sound cooperation in meteorology, water resources and disaster prevention and mitigation.

"Since the disaster occurred, China and Nepal have maintained smooth communication on personnel search and rescue, information sharing and the prevention of secondary disasters. China has continued to provide Nepal with meteorological and hydrological data, conduct professional consultations and provide relevant early-warning information," he said.

China will continue to support Nepal's disaster relief efforts and deepen cooperation with the country in disaster prevention and mitigation to safeguard the shared interests of the two peoples, he added.

zhaojia@chinadaily.com.cn