Like how we felt nearly two years ago when the Wenchuan earthquake in Sichuan province leveled a county and claimed more than 80,000 lives, our hearts go out to Qinghai province's Yushu county. A 7.1-magnitude quake struck the county on Wednesday morning. More than 600 lives have already been lost and more than 10,000 injured.

We mourn for the dead, pray for those struggling under debris and hope they will hold on until rescuers reach them. We give our most sincere condolences to those who have lost their loved ones. We bless those who survived and pray that they make it through the tough times.

Local armed police forces arrived at the scene and carried out rescue work immediately after the quake. National and provincial rescue teams soon followed. Nongovernmental organizations and volunteers will soon join them.