Podcast
Trapped workers back in China
Updated: 2010-08-09 11:09
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A group of 192 Chinese workers and engineers rescued from flood-stricken Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province in Pakistan arrived back in China at the Urumqi airport on Saturday evening.
The crew had been trapped in the flood for five days.
Due to the poor weather in Pakistan, the plane waited at Urumqi International Airport for more than 30 hours before heading to Islamabad on Saturday afternoon.
"I feel very excited," said Feng Yong, one of the engineers, who expressed his gratitude to everyone involved in his rescue.
An engineer named Mi, who had worked in Pakistan since last October, told China Daily that his experience in Pakistan's flood disaster was "profoundly affecting" and he thanked the Pakistan government for rescuing them.
"Although the whole nation is suffering from the flood, it dispatched two helicopters to save us," Mi said.
The 192 Chinese workers and engineers are mainly from Shandong, Henan and Sichuan provinces. They were to stay overnight in Urumqi and return home on Sunday.
Back in Pakistan, 14 engineers stayed to take care of the flood-ravaged project site and 59 workers were waiting in Islamabad for further arrangements.
The employees of Sinohydro Group were working at a hydro-power station project in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, one of the areas most seriously affected by the floods in Pakistan. A total of 265 Chinese workers were trapped by the flood and three who went missing were later confirmed dead, according to Sinohydro Group.
The Chinese embassy in Pakistan started the rescue mission as soon as it got the information. The Pakistan government dispatched emergency teams and equipment for the mission, and local Pakistan residents offered food, Xinhua News Agency reported.
An estimated 1,600 people so far have lost their lives in the flood. A total of 4.2 million Pakistanis have been affected and more than 252,000 homes were damaged or destroyed across the country.
In Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa alone, about 1,400 people have been killed, with 213 still missing, according to AFP.
Countries including Britain, China, Australia, France and the United States have pledged tens of millions of dollars in aid for victims of the disaster.
Questions:
1. How many Chinese were trapped by flooding in Pakistan, and how many died?
2. Why were they in Pakistan?
3. What is the flood’s death toll so far?
Answers:
1. A total of 265 Chinese workers were trapped by the flood and three who went missing were later confirmed dead.
2. The employees of Sinohydro Group were working at a hydro-power station project in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, one of the areas most seriously affected by the floods in Pakistan.
3. An estimated 1,600 people have lost their lives in the flood. A total of 4.2 million Pakistanis have been affected and more than 252,000 homes were damaged or destroyed across the country.
（中国日报网英语点津 Helen 编辑）
About the broadcaster:
Nelly Min is an editor at China Daily with more than 10 years of experience as a newspaper editor and photographer. She has worked at major newspapers in the U.S., including the Los Angeles Times and the Detroit Free Press. She is fluent in Korean and has a 2-year-old son.
