China's top court sent a message of sympathy to local courts in Southwest China's Sichuan province on Aug 9, a day after a magnitude-7 earthquake hit the region, leaving twenty-five people dead and 525 injured.

The message, sent to local courts through the Sichuan Higher People's Court, expressed sincere sympathy for all victims, including court staff and family members, and paid tribute to court officers for fighting bravely in the face of the deadly earthquake.

Wang Haiping, president of the Sichuan Higher People's Court, said the court will do everything in its power to aid the stricken areas to overcome the quake's impact.

He also appealed to the Jiuzhaigou court, located in the worst affected area in the province, to be persistent in carrying out necessary judicial work and maintaining stability in the disaster-hit county.

The Jiuzhaigou court has undertaken various post-quake tasks, including organizing evacuations, maintaining order in the field and providing legal advice to citizens and tourists.

The earthquake jolted Jiuzhaigou at 9:19 pm on Aug 8 at a depth of 20 kilometers. More than 3,000 aftershocks, the strongest of magnitude 4.8, took place.

Soon after the earthquake, President Xi Jinping called for all-out efforts to organize relief and rescue work. He said that authorities should assess the impact of the earthquake, evacuate and settle visitors and local people, and reduce the deaths and injuries as much as possible.