A Chinese mainland official on Wednesday expressed strong condemnation to the Taiwan authorities after two mainland fishermen were killed in the waters of Kinmen during the Spring Festival. The official also sent condolences to the families of deceased fishermen.

A mainland fishing boat was chased by Taiwan coast guards on Wednesday afternoon, causing four people to fall into the sea. Two of them died. Zhu Fenglian, spokesperson for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council said the incident "severely hurt feelings" of compatriots on both sides of the Taiwan Straits.

"The DPP authorities have used various excuses to forcefully seize mainland fishing boats and treat mainland fishermen in a rough and dangerous way," said Zhu.

She said that over the years, the mainland had done a lot of work to ensure the normal operations of fishermen on both sides of the Taiwan Straits, especially by setting up reception facilities for Taiwan fishermen in many places along the coast to provide Taiwan fishing boats and fishermen with shelter, supplies, emergency rescue and other related assistance.

Zhu also urged the Taiwan authorities to immediately find out the truth about the incident and assist the families of the fishermen who died in properly handling the aftermath.

(Cover: A file photo of Longhu Lake in Jinjiang City, the source of a water-diversion project connecting the Chinese mainland province of Fujian to the island of Kinmen in Jinjiang, southeast China's Fujian Province. /Xinhua)