Evacuees from Dominica fly home to China

At least 400 Chinese evacuees from Dominica are back at home in China following the departure of two chartered flights at the V.C. Bird International Airport last weekend.
The Chinese workers were bought to Antigua after the catastrophic Category 5 Hurricane Maria hit Dominica leaving at least two dozen dead and 18 people confirmed missing.
On Saturday, the displaced Chinese nationals, who arrived in Antigua via ferry, had been here for almost a week. They arrived at the airport terminal in buses and boarded China Eastern Airlines that would take them to Madrid, Spain before heading to Shanghai.
Hu Qi Quan, deputy head of the Chinese Embassy in Antigua and Barbuda, told OBSERVER media that it took extensive coordination and planning to execute the massive operation.
“During the past days, we had [a lot] of assistance from your government, like your foreign ministry, the immigration, customs and port authority as well. At the same time, we got in touch with the Central Government of China, who got together with some companies, to make it happen. It is very hard for everybody, especially with the embassy here, to coordinate everybody,” Hu Qi said.
Electricity and communication is still down in some parts of Dominica after Maria crippled the country, leaving it in a state of disarray and residents without running water.
(more in today’s Daily Observer)