China's rescue team pulls first survivor out of debris after Nepal quake

KATHMANDU - After almost four hours of work, members of the China's International Rescue Team successfully pulled a trapped teenager out of the debris of a collapsed building here Sunday evening.

The 16-year-old boy was the first saved by the Chinese team. The 62-strong team arrived Sunday noon in the Nepalese capital, making it the first heavy international rescue team to have reached Nepal since the country was struck by a massive earthquake Saturday.

According to the latest official figures, at least 2,500 people have been confirmed dead in the magnitude-7.9 earthquake and the number of injured climbed to 5,900.

The Chinese rescue team, composed of 40 rescuers, 10 medical workers and 12 seismic experts, started working immediately after they arrived, before they had a moment to recover from the fatigue after a sleepless night and a five-hour jet ride to Kathmandu.

The team, taking with it six sniff dogs and equipment needed for rescue efforts, also brought some emergency relief materials for the country, including tents, blankets and power generators.

China offered to provide Nepal 20 million RMB's worth of emergency aid (about 3.4 million US dollars), and the materials will be soon transported to the country with chartered planes.

The rescue mission in Nepal is the tenth by the Chinese team on foreign soil. Since its establishment in April 2001, it has participated in several international humanitarian relief efforts.

In May 2003, the team won recognition for its capability in dealing with major disasters such as an earthquake, after its relief mission in Algeria, in the wake of a magnitude-6.2 earthquake in the country's northern coastal region. The mission was also the first by the team outside China.

Later in the same year, the team also participated in relief efforts in Iran after a magnitude-6.3 quake.

In December 2004, the team sent two contingents to Indonesia after the country was struck by a magnitude-8.7 quake, which also triggered a massive tsunami that resulted in the deaths of tens of thousands of people.

The humanitarian mission by the Chinese team, mainly in the worst-affected province of Banda Aceh, lasted for a month, during which the team treated some 10,000 people for their injuries.

In October 2005, the Chinese team played a leading role in the international relief efforts after a magnitude-7.6 earthquake rocked Pakistan.

In May 2006, a magnitude-6.4 quake, with the epic center in central Indonesia, caused great casualties. During its 18-day relief operation there, the Chinese team treated over 3,000 people for their injuries inflicted during the disaster.

In January 2010, the Chinese team conducted a two-week-long relief operation in Haiti after the country was struck by a magnitude-7.3 earthquake. During the period, the team treated over 2,500 wounded, among whom some 500 were severely injured.

In July that year, the Chinese team sent 116 relief workers to flood-stricken Pakistan. Before wrapping up the operation in early October, the team had offered medical treatment for 25,700 people.

In February 2011, the team sent 10 members to take part in the relief efforts in Christchurch in New Zealand, after a magnitude-6.3 quake.

In March of the same year, the team sent 15 veteran rescuers to Japan after the country was struck by a magnitude-9 quake and ensuring tsunami. The week-long operation by the Chinese team won applause from the local government and their foreign colleagues.