Asia-Pacific News
Eight Chinese peacekeepers buried in Haiti quake (Extra)
Jan 13, 2010, 11:32 GMT
Beijing - Eight Chinese UN peacekeepers were buried by the devastating earthquake that struck Haiti on Wednesday, with at least 10 others missing, Chinese state media said.
The Chinese peacekeepers were among hundreds of people feared dead in Haiti after a 7.0-magnitude quake hit the impoverished Caribbean nation.
'Eight soldiers from China's peacekeeping force are buried beneath rubble and over 10 are missing,' the Global Times newspaper quoted Liu Xiangyang, the vice president of China's national earthquake disaster emergency rescue team, as saying.
The newspaper said a 50-member Chinese rescue team with sniffer dogs and specialist equipment was 'ready to depart' for Haiti later Wednesday.
The quake was thought to be the worst in Haiti in two centuries. The capital Port-au-Prince, home to more than 1.2 million people, was hard hit.
With the city in darkness, the death toll and extent of damage were difficult to determine. Many survivors were believed to still be stuck in rubble.
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