Chief Executive John Lee on Tuesday thanked mainland officials for their support with disaster relief and rescue efforts following the Tai Po fire.

He noted that President Xi Jinping had shown great concern and ordered full support for Hong Kong.

On Monday, Xia Baolong, director of the Hong Kong and Macao Work Office, was in Shenzhen and received a detailed briefing on Hong Kong's situation.

Lee said Xia was putting the spirit of Xi’s call for relief and rescue into action.

He expressed deep gratitude for Xia's concern for Hong Kong during this crisis.

He also thanked the office for coordinating two batches of support supplies that had already arrived in Hong Kong.

He said the supplies included smart systems and drones, which helped during firefighting and were now being used to aid efforts at victim identification, as well as medical items to support patient care.

He added that Xia affirmed the work being done by the Hong Kong government.