BEIJING, Aug. 31 (Xinhua) -- As of August 30, all Chinese nationals who had been contacted in the disaster-stricken areas of Nepal after a devastating mudslide have been properly transferred and resettled, and they were safe, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson said Monday.
Spokesperson Guo Jiakun told a daily media briefing that currently, China is making every effort to search for and rescue the missing at home and abroad, and is in close contact with foreign embassies in China to jointly conduct screening and aftermath handling for missing foreign nationals.
While urgently carrying out rescue and relief efforts at home, China also immediately reached out to Nepal to support its emergency response and disaster relief, Guo added.
Noting that the Chinese government has provided Nepal with emergency cash assistance and humanitarian aid, Guo said that the first batch of 50 tonnes of relief supplies has already arrived in Kathmandu, and two rescue teams composed of Chinese tunnel rescue experts have rushed to the disaster-stricken areas in Nepal.
"We have also shared with the Nepali side important information such as images, satellite, and hydrological data of the disaster-affected areas, including early-warning information on an upstream barrier lake. China is actively assisting stranded Nepali citizens in returning to Nepal as soon as possible," Guo said.
The disaster, triggered by a sudden glacier collapse in Nepal's border area, has caused significant casualties and left people missing on both Chinese and Nepali sides. It has been the most serious cross-border disaster between the two countries in recent years, and the relief efforts are unprecedentedly complex and arduous. ■
