8 Chinese peacekeepers buried in Haiti quake

BEIJING - At least eight soldiers from China’s peacekeeping force were buried beneath the rubble and over 10 were missing in the aftermath of the 7.0-magnitude earthquake in Haiti, an official said Wednesday.

Eight peacekeeping personnel were among the hundreds feared dead in the high intensity earthquake that rocked Haiti’s capital city Port-au-Prince Wednesday, according to Liu Xiangyang, vice president of China’s national earthquake disaster emergency rescue team, Global Times reported.

The presidential palace, buildings of the finance and public works ministries, the parliament building and a cathedral in Port-au-Prince were also damaged.

The daily said a 50-member Chinese rescue team was ready to depart for quake-hit Haiti hours after the quake rattled the Caribbean country.

The team includes experts from China Earthquake Administration, engineers and medical experts.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu said the Red Cross Society of China has decided to provide emergency aid for Haiti.

Chinese leaders are very concerned with the safety of Chinese nationals including peacekeepers, compatriots from Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan and overseas Chinese, and has made arrangements for taking rescue operation as soon as possible, Jiang said.

“We are in belief that the Haitian people, under the leadership of their government, will overcome difficulties and rebuild their homes at an early date with the help of the international community,” he said.

Jiang said the Center for Consular Assistance and Protection under the Foreign Ministry will provide 24-hour consultation service.