BEIJING, Aug. 19 (Xinhua) -- General Secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee Hu Jintao Wednesday expressed his condolences to the Taiwan people for the victims of Typhoon Morakot.

He expressed deep sorrow on behalf of mainland people.

"The difficulties Taiwan compatriots are facing mean the same to us. We will continue helping them in rescue and relief as well as support them in rehabilitation," said Hu.

He made the statement when meeting a delegation of ethnic minorities from Taiwan, headed by actor-turned-politician Kao Chin Su-mei.

As of noon Wednesday, 136 people were confirmed dead in Taiwan, 45 injured and 386 missing. The death toll did not include 523 people who were buried under mudslides in two villages.

The mainland has so far donated about 176 million yuan (26 million U.S. dollars) and 25 million yuan of disaster relief materials to Taiwan, according to the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office.

The first batch of portable houses and 10,000 sleeping bags, 10,000 blankets and 1,000 sterilization appliances had reached Kaohsiung Tuesday.