President Tsai Ing-wen has offered her condolences to the families of people killed by a magnitude 6.8 earthquake in Sichuan province, China.
The quake struck at a depth of 16 kilometers in a mountainous area southwest of Chengdu shortly after noon on Monday. State media says at least 65 people are dead and hundreds injured.
President Tsai says she hopes that search and rescue operations are a success and that the people of Sichuan can return to normal life as soon as possible.
Taiwan’s National Fire Agency has put 40 rescue personnel on standby, prepared 5 tons of equipment and chartered a plane in case Chinese authorities ask for help.
Right now, Taiwanese officials say there’s no sign any Taiwanese nationals were injured or affected by the earthquake. Authorities say they’re still monitoring the situation.