Nine Chinese aircraft finish Ebola rescue task

BEIJING - China's largest health rescue overseas has completed, with nine passenger planes and freighters uniting efforts in Ebola-hit countries, according to the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC).

Between Aug 10 to Nov 16, the CAAC dispatched nine aircraft from domestic airlines including China Eastern Airlines and China Cargo Airlines to transport 282 medical staff and 767 tonnes of medical materials to Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone, CAAC deputy director Wang Zhiqing said on Wednesday.

The Chinese government stressed the importance of the rescue task. The nine aircraft flew across 21 nations with a total milage of 40,000 kilometers, said Wang.

A total of 14,413 Ebola cases had been reported by Nov 11 in Guinea, Liberia, Mali, Sierra Leone, Spain and the United States and in two previously affected countries of Nigeria and Senegal, with 5,177 reported deaths.