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Tsunami kills 282; no Chinese casualties

Updated: 2010-10-28 12:55

All Chinese nationals in Indonesia have been reported safe in the wake of a tsunami triggered by a strong earthquake in the archipelago, as the death toll has climbed to 282 on Wednesday, authorities said.

An official with the National Tourism Administration told China Daily he has received no reports of Chinese tourists stranded or hurt in Indonesia.

Dai Beibei with the marketing department at the China CYTS Tours Holding Co Ltd, said her company currently has two groups with more than 30 tourists on the island of Bali - the destination most frequently patronized by foreigners, and one which is far away from the disaster-stricken area.

"Their schedules will go on as planned. They will return to China in two or three days", she said, adding that so far no customer has cancelled a tour, and that other tour groups are also preparing to visit the island.

Operators with China Southern Airlines Co Ltd and Cathay Pacific Airways - the main airlines serving Indonesia-bound Chinese - have confirmed their flights to Jakarta are running as normal.

In a phone interview with China Daily on Wednesday afternoon, the press officer with the Chinese embassy in Indonesia, Wang Yan, said that no Chinese citizens have been reported dead or injured in the disaster-hit area.

Some Chinese companies and staff are in the regions near the disaster area, but their employees have already been relocated to safe places, according to Wang.

China's Red Cross, meanwhile, has offered $30,000 to Indonesia's Red Cross, which will be received on Thursday, said Wang.

Ade Edward, a disaster relief official of Indonesia, announced an increase in the estimated number of casualties up to 282 and 411 missing on Wednesday.

The 7.7 magnitude quake that struck late on Monday near the Mentawai Islands off Sumatra triggered the tsunami.

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（中國日報網英語點津 Helen 編輯）

Tsunami kills 282; no Chinese casualties

About the broadcaster:

Tsunami kills 282; no Chinese casualties

Lee Hannon is Chief Editor at China Daily with 15-years experience in print and broadcast journalism. Born in England, Lee has traveled extensively around the world as a journalist including four years as a senior editor in Los Angeles. He now lives in Beijing and is happy to move to China and join the China Daily team.