President Hu Jintao on Sunday sent a message of condolences to Indian President Abdul Kalam over the massive earthquake that caused heavy casualties and damages in the South Asian country.

Hu, on behalf of the Chinese government and people and in his own name, offered condolences to the victims' families and the injured, and expressed deep grief over those who were killed in the disaster.

On the same day, Premier Wen Jiabao and Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing also extended condolences to Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Foreign Minister Natwar Singh respectively over the deadly earthquake which hit the South Asia region on Saturday morning.

Some 300 people, including 36 Indian troopers, have been reportedly killed in the Indian-controlled Kashmir, while another 900 are said to be undergoing medical treatment in various hospitals.

The epicenter of the earthquake, measured 7.6 on the Richter scale, was located in Muzaffarabad, 95 km north of Islamabad and 115 km northwest of Srinagar, the summer capital of Indian-controlled Kashmir.

(Xinhua News Agency October 9, 2005)