President condoles deaths in China earthquake

President Pranab Mukherjee has conveyed his "sincere grief" and "sympathy" over the loss of life and property in the earthquake that jolted China Aug 3.

In his message to the Chinese President Xi Jinping, Mukherjee said: "It is with profound sadness that we, in India, learned of the earthquake causing a tragic loss of lives and large scale destruction of property in the area."

"I understand that relief and rescue efforts are ongoing and I am confident that the local authorities and your government will soon be able to restore normalcy to the affected areas," he said.

"I extend on behalf of the government and the people of India my deepest condolences to your government and to the bereaved and displaced families. Our sympathies and prayers are with them during this difficult time," Mukherjee added.

The toll in the 6.5 magnitude quake that rocked China's Yunnan province has climbed to 589 and about 2,401 have been injured.