BEIJING - Ma Ying-jeou, chairman of Taiwan's Kuomintang (KMT), and Tseng Yung-chuan, vice chairman and secretary general of KMT, have extended their condolences to the families of victims of a factory blast in the Chinese mainland.

The explosion, which took place on Saturday morning in Taiwan-invested Zhongrong Metal Products Co., Ltd. in Kunshan of Jiangsu Province, has claimed 71 lives and injured more than 180 others, according to the local government.

The message of condolences was delivered through a communication mechanism between the KMT and the Communist Party of China.

Ma and Tseng said that on behalf of the KMT, they gave blessings to the injured and wish them a speedy recovery.