Chinese President Xi Jinping sent a message of condolences to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. over devastation from the magnitude-7.0 earthquake that struck Luzon last July 27.

This was announced in the Twitter account of the Chinese Embassy in the Philippines on Saturday.

“On behalf of the Chinese government and people, and in his own name, Xi expressed deep condolences over the deaths, and extended sincere sympathies to the bereaved families and the wounded,” the embassy said.

He also expressed his belief that under the leadership of Marcos and the Philippine government, people in the earthquake-stricken areas “will surely overcome the disaster and rebuild their homes.”

The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) said total of 62,024 families or 228,238 individuals from 639 barangays in Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR), Ilocos (Region 1), and Cagayan Valley (Region 2) were affected by the strong earthquake. DMS