Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing extended the government's condolences to Japan after the deadly train derailment there on Monday.

In a message to his Japanese counterpart Machimura Nobutaka, Li said he was shocked at the heavy casualties and damage caused by the accident.

He offered his sympathies to the bereaved families on behalf of the government.

A packed commuter train jumped the tracks and hurtled into an apartment complex in an urban area near Amagasaki, some 400 km west of Tokyo, killing at least 53 people and injuring more than 400 others.

The tragedy was the worst rail disaster in four decades.

(Xinhua News Agency April 26, 2005)