China's Foreign Ministry Thursday pledged to ensure the rights of three Chinese engineers arrested and charged with culpable homicide on Monday by Indian police would be protected.

The engineers, employed by the Shandong Electric Power Construction Corporation (SEPCO), were charged with homicide in connection with a chimney collapse that killed more than 40 people at an Indian power plant in September, 2009.

Spokeswoman Jiang Yu said the Chinese Foreign Ministry and the Chinese Embassy to India would actively assist the SEPCO in dealing with the prosecution and protect the legitimate rights and interests of the three engineers.

The 1,200-megawatt thermal power plant, owned by Bharat Aluminium Company Ltd (Balco), was being built by SEPCO with the help of local contractors in Korba, about 960 kilometers southeast of New Delhi.