Fujian CPC standing committee Party chief Yu Weiguo and Governor Tang Dengjie on Wednesday expressed deep condolence to the victims of the magnitude 6.5 earthquake that hit Taiwan's Hualien county late night Tuesday.

The earthquake left nine people dead, 265 injured and 62 missing as of 7:00 am Thursday, including four tourists from the mainland.

A female tourist from Fujian province was declared dead at 9:00 pm Wednesday after treatment failed.

Both Yu and Tang urged local relevant departments to offer immediate help to the victims' family and the Hualien residents affected by the earthquake.

Meanwhile, the Fujian and Taiwan Exchange Association sent a letter to the Hualien authorities to express its grave concern over the disaster as well as its condolences to the earthquake victims.

Cross-Straits residents have a flesh-and-blood bond, the letter says, so that Fujian people feel empathy when Taiwan compatriots suffer from a disaster. The association is willing to provide assistance to the best of its ability.

Fujian, located off the Taiwan Strait, is closely linked to Taiwan not just by the narrowness of the ocean channel, but also by blood ties, common language and folk customs. Statistics show roughly 80 percent of Taiwan residents are of Fujian origin.

Rescuers work in front of a collapsed building in quake-hit Hualien county, Taiwan, Feb 7, 2018. [Photo/Xinhua]