As the Nepalese people grapple with an intensive rescue effort in the aftermath of Saturday's 7.9-magnitude earthquake, hundreds of Chinese are working side by side with them.[Special coverage]
The presence of Chinese at the quake-stricken country is a mix of rescue crew, medical personnel and volunteers.
The massive earthquake and its aftershocks have devastated the landlocked Asian country by claiming more than 5,000 lives and injuring over 10,000 so far, while causing shortages of food, water, tents and medical supplies.
The Chinese government has responded quickly to the needs of the Nepalese people, sending a rescue team as early as possible and following that up with more personnel and relief materials. In addition, some Chinese tourists in the popular tourism country have also lent a helping hand to the distressed locals.
RESCUE TEAM ARRIVES EARLY
Following the earthquake, the 62-strong China's International Rescue Team arrived Sunday noon in Nepal's capital Kathmandu after a five-hour jet ride, making it the first heavy international rescue team to have reached Nepal after the massive disaster.
The Chinese rescue team is composed of 40 rescuers, 10 medical workers and 12 seismic experts.
Taking with it six sniffer dogs and equipment needed for rescue efforts, the team also brought some emergency relief materials for the country, including tents, blankets and power generators. Their plane was loaded with 20.5 tons of goods.
Members of the team successfully pulled a trapped 16-year-old out of the debris of a collapsed building in Kathmandu Sunday evening, the first survivor saved by the team.
The latest news from the team is that its members rescued another survivor in the capital early Tuesday morning, according to the Chinese Foreign Ministry.
The Chinese government has pledged to provide 20-million-yuan (about 3.4 million U.S. dollars) worth of humanitarian aid to Nepal.
