Chinese President Jiang Zemin sent a message to his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, on Monday to express his condolences on the deaths of 118 Russian sailors aboard the sunken Kursk.
Jiang said he had followed closely the rescue efforts since the Russian Northern Fleet's submarine sank in the Barents Sea on August 12.
"Today I learned with profound grief that due to insurmountable forces, rescue work had not been successful despite hard work on many sides, and that all the 118 sailors had died," Jiang said.
"I express condolences on behalf of the Chinese government and people, and in my own name, to you, and through you, to the families of the victims."
Vice-Admiral Mikhail Motsak, the Chief of General Staff of the Russian North Fleet, announced on Monday that all the 118 members of the crew of Kursk are dead.
The Russian nuclear submarine Kursk went down to the bottom of the Barents Sea on August 12 during a naval exercise.
(People’s Daily 08/22/2000)
