Voices

Leaders worldwide have expressed their condolences for the victims in the earthquake and voiced their support for the country's disaster relief effort:

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said he felt sorry after hearing of the damage by the major quake and added that the UN is ready to assist China.

The White House on Sunday offered condolences over the loss of lives in Yunnan province, where a magnitude-6.5 earthquake struck earlier in the day, saying the United States was ready to help. "The United States offers sincere condolences to all those who lost loved ones in the Aug 3 earthquake in southwestern China," National Security Council spokeswoman Bernadette Meehan said in a statement. She said US disaster response officials were in contact with their Chinese counterparts and the US "stands ready to assist".