Rescue team from China pulls its first survivor from rubble

Members of China's International Rescue Team pulled a trapped teenager out of the rubble of a collapsed building in Kathmandu on Sunday evening after almost four hours of work.

The 16-year-old boy was the first to be saved by the Chinese rescuers. The 62-strong team arrived in the Nepalese capital at noon, making it the first heavy international rescue team to reach the country since the massive earthquake on Saturday.

The 40 rescuers, 10 medical workers and 12 seismic experts started work immediately after landing, following a five-hour flight. The team has six sniffer dogs and emergency relief equipment, including power generators, tents and blankets.

China has offered Nepal 20 million yuan ($3.4 million) of emergency aid, and the supplies will be delivered soon on chartered planes.

The rescue mission is the 10th by the Chinese team on foreign soil since it was formed in April 2001.

In May 2003, the team won recognition for its ability to deal with major disasters when it carried out a relief operation in Algeria after a magnitude-6.2 quake happened in that country's northern coastal region. The mission was the team's first outside China.

Later the same year, the team 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 that triggered a massive tsunami, resulting in the deaths of tens of thousands of people. The monthlong mission was centered on the worst affected province of Banda Aceh, and the team treated around 10,000 injured people.

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

In May 2006, a magnitude-6.4 quake, with its epicenter in central Indonesia, caused large numbers of casualties. The team was sent to treat more than 3,000 people during an 18-day mission.

In January 2010, the team conducted a two-week operation in Haiti after the country was struck by a magnitude-7.3 quake. More than 2,500 injured people were treated, including 500 who were severely injured.

In July of that year, the team sent 116 relief workers to flood-stricken Pakistan. By the time the operation ended in early October, the team had given medical treatment to 25,700 people.

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

The following month, the team sent 15 veteran rescuers to Japan after the country was struck by a magnitude-9 quake and the ensuing tsunami. The weeklong operation by the Chinese won praise from the local government and foreign colleagues.