China has extended condolences to Japan for the deadly train derailment, Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang said in Beijing Tuesday.

Chinese Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing and Chinese Ambassador to Japan Wang Yi on Monday sent separate massages to the Japanese side, on behalf of the Chinese government, expressing condolences to the families of the deceased and the people who were injured inthe accident, Qin said at a regular press conference.

A packed commuter train jumped the tracks and hurtled into an apartment complex in an urban area near Amagasaki of Hyogo Prefecture, some 400 km west of Tokyo, claiming the lives of at least 54 people and injuring more than 400 others. The tragedy was Japan's worst rail disaster in four decades.

Source: Xinhua