China again thanks countries for quake assistance

BEIJING, April 23 (Xinhua) -- China on Tuesday again extended thanks to the countries that have offered assistance in the wake of the 7.0-magnitude quake that hit southwest China's Sichuan Province on Saturday.

The offers "demonstrate their friendly feelings toward the Chinese people, and we would like to express our sincere gratitude again," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying told a daily press briefing.

"We will keep in close touch with relevant countries, in accordance with the needs of post-quake reconstruction," Hua said.

Saturday's earthquake in Lushan County, Sichuan Province, left 193 people dead, 25 missing and 12,211 injured, according to the latest figures released Tuesday morning.

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