Global General

Three flights take Chinese back home from Kyrgyzstan

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2010-06-15 20:45

Passengers arrive at the Urumqi airport, Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region from the violence-hit Kyrgyzstan by China Southern Airlines (CSA) chartered flight on June 15. [Photo/Xinhua]

OSH, Kyrgyzstan - The third Chinese chartered plane landed in the airport of southern Kyrgyz city Osh on Tuesday afternoon to pick up Chinese nationals.

The plane arrived at the airport at 2:42 pm local time to evacuate Chinese nationals living in southern Kyrgyzstan, where at least 170 people have died from violent clashes which began last Thursday.

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Early Tuesday morning, two Chinese chartered planes carrying 195 Chinese nationals who were evacuated from Kyrgyzstan arrived at an airport in Urumqi, capital of northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said.

The Chinese government dispatched the two Boeing 737-700 passenger planes late Monday to bring back Chinese nationals living in southern Kyrgyzstan.

China hopes for peace, stability in Kyrgyzstan: FM

China hopes the people of Kyrgyzstan will overcome the difficulties they face and realize peace, stability and development, Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang said Tuesday.

As a friendly neighbor, China is highly concerned by the unrest in southern Kyrgyzstan, Qin said in a statement.

The primary task for Kyrgyzstan is to normalize social order and restore social stability, Qin said.

The death toll from the ethnic riots that began June 10 in southern Kyrgyzstan has risen to 170 while 1,762 have been injured, Kyrgyzstan's health ministry said Tuesday.

The Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), a regional security group of former Soviet republics, said at a meeting Monday it will not rule out the use of any measures to normalize the situation in Kyrgyzstan.

"China has taken note of the CSTO meeting on the Kyrgyzstan situation and understands the organization's efforts to preserve peace and stability in central Asia," said Qin.

"China has offered emergency humanitarian aid to the country and we sincerely hope the people of Kyrgyzstan will overcome the difficulties they face," the spokesman said.

China delivers aid to Kyrgyzstan

Two planes carrying the first batch of humanitarian aid to violence-hit Kyrgyzstan landed in the airport of southern Kyrgyz city Osh on Tuesday afternoon.

The 20-ton aid includes food, water, tents, medicine and medical equipment, said Bai Yufeng, an official from the Commerce Department of northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.

A local official from the Kyrgyz interim government appreciated the emergency aid offered by China.

China has sent three chartered planes to evacuate Chinese nationals living in southern Kyrgyzstan, where at least 170 people have died from violent clashes which began last Thursday.