DUSHANBE, May 13, Asia-Plus  -- On Tuesday May 13, President Emomali Rahmon sent a telegram of condolences to his Chinese counterpart, President Hu Jintao, over the devastating earthquake that stuck in China on Monday.  

The message, in particular, said: “We are shocked by news of the tragic event, a devastating earthquake in Sichuan Province, which entailed massive deaths of people.”  President Rahmon also expressed condolences to victims’ families. 

The quake - now upgraded to 7.9 magnitude - struck on Monday at 1428 local time (0628 GMT) and was felt as far away as Beijing and the Thai capital, Bangkok.

Strong aftershocks continued to shake the region on Tuesday.  According to some media, the death toll is now nearly 12,000, and looks set to rise.  It is China''s worst quake since 1976 when 242,000 people were killed in Tangshan.