Xi extends condolences over Venezuela earthquakes

President Xi Jinping sent a message of condolence on Friday to Venezuela's acting president Delcy Rodriguez over the two powerful earthquakes that killed more than 500 people in the South American country, and said that China stands ready to provide assistance to Venezuela for disaster relief and reconstruction.

Xi said that he was shocked to learn about the death and devastation caused by the temblors that rocked Venezuela on Wednesday. On behalf of the Chinese government and the Chinese people, he mourned those killed in the quakes and expressed sincere sympathy to the bereaved families and those injured. He also expressed confidence that under the leadership of the Venezuelan government, the Venezuelan people will overcome the disaster and rebuild their homes at an early date.

According to Venezuelan authorities, the death toll stood at 589 as of Friday. The Chinese embassy in Caracas, the capital of Venezuela, said that two Chinese citizens are among the deceased.

Nearly 3,000 people have been injured in the magnitude 7.2 and 7.5 quakes that hit Venezuela within a minute of each other on Wednesday. The temblors were the strongest on national record in more than a century, and prompted the country to declare a state of emergency.

At a daily news conference on Friday in Beijing, Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said the Chinese government and the Red Cross Society of China will separately provide emergency humanitarian aid to Venezuela.

The Chinese embassy is making every effort to verify the safety of Chinese citizens in the quake zone and will actively provide necessary assistance, he said.

"We advise Chinese nationals in Venezuela to exercise caution against possible secondary quake hazards," Guo said.

China stands ready to offer more support as the disaster response progresses, he added.

zhoujin@chinadaily.com.cn