First batch of China's humanitarian aid arrives at Indonesia

The first batch of humanitarian supplies from the Chinese government for Indonesia's quake victims arrives at Balikpapan International Airport in eastern Kalimantan Island, Indonesia, on Oct. 9, 2018. The aid, consisting of tents, water treatment equipment, generators and other supplies, will be delivered to the earthquake and tsunami-hit areas in Central Sulawesi province soon. There are still four batches of this kind of aid to be delivered in days. (Xinhua)

The first batch of humanitarian supplies from the Chinese government for Indonesia's quake victims arrived at Balikpapan International Airport in eastern Kalimantan Island on Tuesday afternoon, the Chinese embassy in Indonesia said in a statement.

The aid, consisting of tents, water treatment equipment, generators and other supplies, will be delivered to the earthquake and tsunami-hit areas in Central Sulawesi province soon. There are still four batches of this kind of aid to be delivered in days.

Wang Liping, Minister Counselor (Economic & Commercial) of the embassy and senior officials from Indonesia's disaster management agency BNPB and the foreign ministry welcomed the arrival of the Chinese cargo planes at the airport.

Besides the aid from China, the Chinese embassy also purchased some provisions locally which are urgently needed by the victims in Central Sulawesi, which will also be delivered to the disaster-hit regions.

Meanwhile, the embassy said the Red Cross Society of China had donated a total of 200,000 U.S. dollars to its Indonesian counterpart, Palang Merah Indonesia, to help shore up relief works in the province.

A 7.4-magnitude earthquake rocked Central Sulawesi province on Sept. 28, triggering a tsunami and mudslides that already killed 2,010 people and displaced tens of thousands of others until Tuesday.