A Nepalese man performs a ritual during the cremation of his mother who died in the earthquake in Bhaktapur near Kathmandu, Nepal on Sunday. A magnitude-7.8 earthquake shook Nepal's capital and the densely populated Kathmandu Valley before noon Saturday, causing extensive damage including toppled walls and collapsed buildings, officials said. Photo: IC

Rescue workers search for earthquake victims in Bhaktapur near Kathmandu, Nepal, Sunday. Photos: IC

Chinese International Search and Rescue Team members gather at Beijing Capital International Airport on Sunday morning before flying to Nepal to join rescue efforts. Photo: CFP

Graphics: AFP/GT

 

Chinese rescuers arrived in Nepal's capital Kathmandu on Sunday and started search and rescue work as the Chinese government sent more relief materials and financial aid to the neighboring country hit by a devastating earthquake that has left at least 2,500 people dead.

Chinese military and rescue workers have also rushed to the northern side of the Himalayas in China's Tibet Autonomous Region, which was affected by the quake in Nepal on Saturday and the aftershocks, leaving at least 20 dead, four missing and affecting more than 200,000 residents.

The Saturday Nepal quake, which was recorded at 7.8 magnitude internationally but 8.1 by Chinese authorities, was Nepal's worst in more than 80 years.

Powerful aftershocks continued to rock the country Sunday, panicking survivors and triggering new avalanches at the base camp of Mount Qomolangma, also known as Everest, as mass cremations were held in the devastated capital.

The Chinese government said it will provide 20 million yuan ($3.3 million) in humanitarian aid to Nepal following the massive earthquake, according to the Ministry of Commerce on Sunday.

The aid, including tents, blankets, power generators and medical supplies, will be delivered to Nepal by chartered planes, the ministry said, adding China will offer further support according to Nepal's needs.

China called an emergency meeting Sunday morning to coordinate relief and rescue work.    The meeting, convened by Foreign Minister Wang Yi, was attended by officials from departments in charge of seismology, finance, tourism, health, state assets, commerce and sports.

The meeting pledged to speed up assistance to Nepal. Roads connecting Tibet and Nepal will be repaired.

A 62-member China International Search and Rescue Team arrived in Nepal's capital Kathmandu on Sunday and started quake relief work, according to the China Earthquake Administration.

A non-governmental rescue team, Blue Sky Rescue, which is composed of 28 volunteers, was expected to have arrived in Kathmandu on Sunday night. However, the area around the epicenter could pose a challenge to the rescuers.

"It may take days for us to reach the most heavily hit areas if we cannot find a helicopter," Zhang Yong, the team's captain, told the Global Times on Sunday. Zhang said they will try their best to reach the hardest-hit area as soon as possible.

China will also send medical teams to treat the injured and help with epidemic prevention.

The quake and its aftershocks also affected some parts of Tibet. Following the quake in Nepal, a magnitude-5.9 aftershock hit Xigaze on Saturday, and a magnitude-5.3 one shook Nyalam county on Sunday, according to the China Earthquake Networks Center.

Some 7,000 people have been relocated in Nyalam County and about 5,000 in Gyirong county, some 800 kilometers west of Lhasa.

The two border posts to Nepal were seriously affected. The highway linking Xigaze and the Zham Pass has been cut off by landslides.

As of 7 am Sunday, four people, including a Nepalese national, were missing in Nyalam. About 80 tourists, including a dozen foreigners, were visiting the county when the earthquake happened.

The quake toppled about 1,200 houses, damaged roads and cut telecommunications in Xigaze, where 54 temples were damaged.

Over 400 mountaineers from more than 20 countries on the Tibetan side of Mount Qomolangma have descended or are descending to the north base camp at 5,200 meters with no casualties reported, according to the Xinhua News Agency.

The Xigaze military sub-area has assembled 1,050 soldiers and members of the militia, 60 medical staff and 87 vehicles. More rescuers from the regional military area are on their way. About 600 border guards are involved in rescue operations in Nyalam and Gyirong.

Rescuers are braving heavy snow and rain to reach the affected area, and their efforts have been hampered by severe landslides on the road to Nyalam.

"Aftershocks are our biggest worry at the moment, because there is nowhere to hide," said Gyanga Tseten, detachment head of the Xigaze fire brigade, who is leading a 30-man task force to Zham Pass about 37 kilometers from Nyalam.

Snow will persist in Tibet till Monday, adding extra pressure to the rescue work, authorities said.

The National Development and Reform Commission on Sunday allocated 30 million yuan ($4.9 million) in emergency funds to quake-affected regions in Tibet.

Helicopters airlifted injured climbers off Mount Qomolangma Sunday after avalanche killed at least 18 people on the Nepalese side, AFP reported.

A spokesman for Nepal's tourism department, which issues the permits to climbers, said more than 60 were injured at the base camp.

Ang Tshering Sherpa, president of the Nepal Mountaineering Association, said there were more than 800 people, most of them foreigners, at different places when the avalanche struck on Saturday lunchtime.

Catherine Wong Tsoi-lai and agencies contributed to this story

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