President Hu Jintao yesterday sent a message of condolence to his Italian counterpart Giorgio Napolitano, mourning the heavy loss of life and property in the devastating¹ earthquake that struck central Italy on Monday.

Hu expressed condolences to the families of the dead, and those affected² by the earthquake.

Top legislator Wu Bangguo sent a similar message to Italian Senate Speaker Renato Schifani and Chamber³ of Deputies Speaker Gianfranco Fini; Premier⁴ Wen Jiabao sent a message to Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, Xinhua reported.

There has been no report of Chinese casualties, and those in the epicenter have contacted the Chinese embassy in Rome or local Chinese communities, Wang Hao, a diplomat⁵ in charge of press relations at the embassy, told China Daily yesterday.

There are about 7,000 Chinese living in the region of Abruzzo, including about 50 in L'Aquila, the epicenter.

The embassy halted a plan to send staff to the quake zone after Berlusconi declared a state of emergency, Wang said.

The Italian Foreign Ministry⁶ said embassy staff would be able to visit the disaster area as soon as conditions permit.

Questions:

1. When did the earthquake strike central Italy?

2. How many Chinese live in the region of Abruzzo?

3. Who declared a state of emergency?

Answers:

1. Monday.

2. About 7,000.

3. Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi.