The Sudanese authorities on Tuesday handed over to the Chinese side the body of a Chinese worker who was killed following a rebel attack on a camp of a Chinese company operating in South Kordofan State.

Representatives of Chinese embassy in Khartoum and the Sudanese Red Crescent signed the document of handing over the body of the Chinese worker.

Representatives of Chinese embassy in Khartoum and the Sudanese Red Crescent are signing the document of handing over the body of the Chinese worker. [Xinhua]

Isam Awad Mutwalli, Director of the Chinese Affairs Department at Sudan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, speaking to Xinhua, expressed Sudan government's deep concern over the death of the Chinese worker.

He further conveyed condolences of Sudan to the Chinese people, government and families of the killed worker.

"This is a casual incident and will not recur. We reiterate the deeply-rooted Sudan-China ties which are witnessing development in all fields. We pledge to enhance the security measures to protect and secure all the Chinese companies operating in Sudan," he said.

A group belonging to the SPLM/northern sector on Jan. 28 attacked a camp of a Chinese company operating at road construction site in South Kordofan State.

The rebels abducted 29 of the total 47 Chinese workers in the camp, while the other 18 workers fled to neighboring areas. The Sudanese army found 17 Chinese workers later and transported them to a safe place, but one worker remained missing.

Sudanese sources on Monday said the Sudanese army found the body of the missing Chinese worker at Al-Abbasiya area where it turned out that the worker was killed after he was shot during the rescue operations launched by the Sudanese army on Jan. 29 to evacuate 18 Chinese workers.

The details of the death of the Chinese worker date back to Jan. 29 when a patrol of the Sudanese army launched a rescue operation for 18 Chinese workers who hid at a farm of mango trees following the rebel attack.

When the workers started to leave the area, the rebels opened fire on them from a long distance and the worker was injured. His colleagues tried to rescue him but failed and they were forced to leave him because of the serious security situation at that time.

South Kordofan, located on the Sudan-South Sudan border, has been witnessing armed clashes between the Sudanese army and the SPLA's northern sector since June last year.

Khartoum accuses South Sudan of supporting the rebels on the borderline between the two countries, particularly in Blue Nile and South Kordofan states.