China rescue team returns from successful Nepal quake work

3gzylon 2015-05-10

展开全文

(People's Daily Online) 18:30, May 09, 2015

China’s international search and rescue team on Friday returned to Beijing after conducting earthquake rescue work in Nepal.

One day after the powerful quake on April 25, China dispatched a 62-member rescue team, along with six dogs, to Nepal's capital Kathmandu, which was one of the first international rescue teams who arrived at the epicenter.

"A friend in need is a friend indeed, and China is one such true friend of Nepal," Nepal Ambassador to China Mahesh Kumar Maskey said, as he expressed his heartfelt gratitude to China.

The team has never allocated as many people in an international mission nor left its base at such short notice before, the team leader said.

During their stay in Nepal, the team rescued two people from the rubble, treated more than 2,700 victims, and cleared about 430 buildings.

On April 26, the Chinese team rescued a teenager who had been trapped for one day in northwestern Kathmandu after searching for four hours.

Hundreds of people surrounding the rescue site applauded when they saw the survivor being taken out of danger. The successful rescue made the Chinese team the first international group to save a survivor.

The team braved aftershocks in the following days and spent another 34 hours before they pulled a second survivor out of debris on the morning of April 28, which was the most difficult part during the mission.

In addition to assistance from the Chinese government and military, China’s non-government rescue team also played a role.

After the earthquake, almost all the restaurants and shops in Kathmandu were closed over safety concerns.

Yang Jianguo, a Chinese restaurant owner in Kathmandu for more than 10 years, struggled to provide meals to local residents and Chinese tourists for free.

"My restaurant was open at the time of the earthquake, when a wall of the kitchen collapsed," said Yang, waving his hands with white gauze wrapped around one of his fingers. His hand was injured and the nail of his middle finger was torn off while helping carry water to the victims.

Taking out all the rice stocked in his restaurant and buying a ton of rice from the market, Yang provided free meals to local residents and Chinese tourists since the night following the earthquake. After the chef of his restaurant returned to China after the earthquake, his son-in-law worked as the temporary chef.

(For the latest China news, Please follow People's Daily on Twitter and Facebook)(Editor:Ma Xiaochun,Bianji)