China sends emergency relief supplies to quake-hit Vanuatu

A shipment of emergency relief supplies departed Wednesday evening from the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen to Port Vila, the capital of Vanuatu, to support earthquake relief efforts in the Pacific island country.

The flight, carrying essential supplies including tents, folding beds, water purification equipment, solar lamps, emergency food and medical materials, left Shenzhen Baoan International Airport at 7:18 p.m. Beijing time. It is expected to arrive in Port Vila at 4:45 a.m. Thursday, according to civil aviation authorities.

A 7.3-magnitude earthquake struck Port Vila on December 17, causing casualties and significant damage.

The Chinese government has provided 1 million U.S. dollars in emergency assistance to Vanuatu to support its disaster response and reconstruction efforts, Li Ming, spokesperson for China International Development Cooperation Agency, announced last week.

Chinese Ambassador Li Minggang on Wednesday visited the families of Chinese nationals who lost their lives in the recent devastating earthquake in Vanuatu.

He expressed condolences to the victims and sympathy to their families, assuring them that the embassy would offer all necessary assistance in this difficult time. He added that the embassy has urged the Vanuatu government and relevant authorities to take quick and effective measures to address post-disaster arrangements.

At the request of the Vanuatu government, China has sent four engineering experts to assist with post-earthquake response in the country, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said Monday.

"This is the first time that China has sent an emergency post-disaster assessment team to a Pacific island country, with hopes of contributing to Vanuatu's reconstruction," Mao said at a daily press briefing.

(With input from Xinhua)