The Chinese Foreign Ministry made representations to the Russian embassy in China about the Chinese casualties in the fire in a Moscow university, according to a source with the ministry.  

Qiu Shaofang, deputy director-general of the ministry's consular affairs department, made representations to Sergei Goncharov, minister-counselor in Russian embassy, Monday afternoon.

A disastrous blaze occurred in the dormitory of the Patrice Lumumba Peoples' Friendship University in Moscow, leaving 36 overseas students dead and nearly 200 injured, including 34 Chinese students injured and 13 missing.

Qiu said China was shocked at the incident and Chinese state leaders showed extreme concern for the personal safety of the Chinese students there.

He urged the Russian side to pay high attention to the incident and promptly handle the remaining affairs.

He asked them to provide full aid for the injured, an active search for the missing students, the list of casualties, investigation into the cause of the fire and convenience for visa application for relatives of the victims.

He also called on relevant departments of the Russian side to take effective measures to improve the study and living conditions of the Chinese students and guarantee their personal and property safety so as to avoid the reoccurrence of such an incident.

Goncharov said both sides were distressed by the tragic incident. He expressed condolences to the Chinese victims and sympathy to their family members.

He said that the Russian side will promptly investigate the cause of the fire, punish the people accountable and provide timely visa application to the relatives of the casualties.

He said that the Russian side would urge relevant departments to properly handle the remaining affairs and take measures for ensuring the personal safety of all foreign students, including the Chinese students.

(Xinhua News Agency November 25, 2003)