An Afghan man looks at the debris of a destroyed house in Nangarhar province, Afghanistan, Oct. 27, 2015. (Xinhua/Safi)
BEIJING, Oct. 27 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping on Tuesday sent messages of condolences to his counterparts in both Afghanistan and Pakistan over a powerful earthquake that so far claimed over 360 lives.
The magnitude-7.8 earthquake, which struck from a depth of 210 km, jolted the Hindu Kush mountain range in northern Afghanistan at 0909 GMT on Monday, according to China Earthquake Networks Center, with strong tremors felt in Pakistan and India.
In his message to Afghan President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani, Xi said China and Afghanistan share a traditional friendship and the Chinese people are saddened by the losses of life and property in Afghanistan in the earthquake.
Meanwhile, in his message to Pakistani President Mamnoon Hussain, Xi said that China and Pakistan are all-weather strategic partners of cooperation and the Chinese people also feel the pains of the Pakistani people in the face of the disaster.
The Chinese leader pledged to provide the two countries with assistance if needed, expressing the belief that the two countries can overcome the aftermath of the disaster and rebuild their homelands.
