A 62-member team from China arrived in Kathmandu on a search and rescue mission following the massive earthquake on Saturday.
The Chinese team has worked in high altitude domestic disaster zones, and includes several members acquainted with international rescue missions, the State-run CCTV reported.
40 climbers trappedSix sniffer dogs are accompanying the contingent, which left for the Nepalese capital from Beijing, early on Sunday.
Chinese rescue teams have also rushed to Tibet, where the death toll from the quake reached 17. The earthquake has trapped around 40 Chinese climbers at the Everest base camp.
The Chinese Mountaineering Association says at least 10 climbers have been killed and the rescue work is on at the camp, where helicopters are being deployed. Chinese state media has reported that in Tibet, 53 people have been injured, while about 12,000 have been evacuated.
The damage has been extensive, as the temblor levelled 1,191 houses, damaged roads and cut off telecommunications.
Xi’s condolenceChinese President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang have sent condolences to Nepalese President Ram Baran Yadav and Prime Minister Sushil Koirala on the major loss of lives.
President Xi has expressed faith in the leadership of President Yadav’s government to “conquer the natural disaster,” while Mr. Li, in his message of “deep sympathy to the relatives of the quake victims and the injured,” offered China’s readiness to help Nepal cope with the aftermath.