Chinese citizens return home from quake-hit Japan

  A Chinese national evacuated from quake-hit Japan waits for check at the Dalian Zhoushuizi International Airport in Dalian, northeast China's Liaoning Province, March 16, 2011. Some 1,900 Chinese nationals evacuated from Japan arrived at Dalian airport on Wednesday. (Xinhua/Li Yuze) DALIAN, March 16 (Xinhua) -- Some Chinese citizens flew back to the country on Wednesday from Japan, where over 4,000 people are confirmed dead following last week's catastrophic earthquake and tsunami.

Since Tuesday, the Chinese government had begun transporting citizens in four of the worst-hit Japanese prefectures, including Miyagi, Fukushima, Iwate and Ibaraki to airports in less-affected areas of Niigata and Tokyo where Chinese citizens were flown home in batches.

Shanghai-based China Eastern Airlines and Guangzhou-based China Southern Airlines put on additional flights to Japan to transport the evacuated Chinese citizens.

On Wednesday night, more than 1,900 Chinese citizens on 11 regular flights, and another additional flight, arrived at the Dalian Zhoushuizi International Airport in the northeastern Chinese port city of Dalian from Japan, according to the border inspection staff of the airport.

The additional flight, which was sent by China Southern Airlines, brought 178 Chinese people home from Narita Airport in Tokyo.

"My classmates and I stayed in a shelter for three days before getting on the bus sent by the Chinese embassy on Tuesday. We arrived at Narita Airport last night," said Ye Ningrong, a passenger who studied in a language school in Ibaraki.

"After the situation gets better, we'll go back to finish our studies," Ye said.