May 12, 2008
No. 113
The Honourable Maxime Bernier, Minister of Foreign Affairs, and the Honourable Beverley J. Oda, Minister of International Cooperation, today offered China Canada's condolences on the tragic loss of life, including of school-aged children, resulting from the major earthquake in the country's Sichuan Province.
"We are greatly saddened by the news that thousands lost their lives and that hundreds of children who were at school at the time are trapped in the debris," said Minister Bernier.
"Our thoughts are with the victims of this terrible tragedy and their families," said Minister Oda. "Canada stands ready to help should China request any assistance in its humanitarian relief efforts."
China's official Xinhua News Agency reports that more than 8,500 people have died, and many thousands more were injured, in Sichuan Province alone after the earthquake, which registered 7.8 on the Richter scale. The earthquake struck in the middle of the afternoon when classrooms, offices and businesses were full.
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