China's first batch of aid arrives in quake-hit Afghanistan

The first batch of emergency humanitarian aid supplies dispatched by the Chinese government for earthquake-hit Afghanistan arrived in Kabul, the capital of the country, on Sunday. 

Bao Xuhui, charge d'affaires of the Chinese Embassy in Afghanistan, joined Mawlawi Sharafuddin Muslim, deputy minister of the Ministry of Rural Rehabilitation and Development of Afghanistan, along with officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Afghanistan, the Afghanistan National Disaster Management Authority and the Afghan Red Crescent Society (ARCS), at the handover ceremony.

Bao said that after devastating earthquakes struck provinces such as Kunar, causing heavy casualties and property losses, China took prompt actions and provided 50 million yuan ($7 million) worth of emergency humanitarian assistance.

The first shipment that arrived included tents and blankets, with additional supplies expected to arrive in the coming days.

Afghanistan has been hit by a series of earthquakes since late August. A magnitude-6.0 quake struck on August 31, followed by another two of 5.5 and 5.1 on Tuesday and Friday. The ARCS confirmed on Thursday that the earthquake in eastern Afghanistan killed 2,205 people and injured 3,640.