Cote d'Ivoire president extends condolences to China after quake

ABIDJAN, April 23 (Xinhua) -- Cote d'Ivoire President Alassane Ouattara has extended "condolences" to his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping after a strong earthquake hit China's southwestern province of Sichuan.

"In this very sad circumstances, I would like to express to you, to the friendly Chinese people and to the Chinese government my deepest condolences," Ouattara said in a message to President Xi.

In the message broadcast on national television on Monday evening, Cote d'Ivoire's president said he had learnt "with dismay" the news about the earthquake that killed nearly 200 people and injured thousands of others.

The 7.0-magnitude earthquake that hit Lushan, Sichuan Province, on Saturday left 193 dead, 25 missing and 12,211 injured, the Chinese Ministry of Civil Affairs announced Tuesday.

The quake has also impacted at least 1.99 million people in Sichuan.