ABAKAN, December 22, 7:36 /ITAR-TASS/. Emergency has been introduced in Khakassia, a republic in South Siberia, after an earthquake that rocked the republic overnight to Sunday.
“All governing bodies, the forces and means of federal, regional and municipal authorities in Khakassia are mobilised for the exposure of the aftermath of the earthquake as quickly and qualitatively as possible,” chief press officer of the republican branch of the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations Irina Butenko told Itar-Tass.
“The introduction of emergency will permit the republican authorities to involve in the round-the-clock work organisations, agencies and enterprises of all types of property. The amount of work is huge, as all settlements, socially important facilities, infrastructure and life-supporting facilities, potentially hazardous facilities and crowded places should be checked for any damages or destruction,” she added.
Before the end of Monday, December 23, all buildings, facilities and residential houses, which had probably been damaged from the earthquake with the epicentre in Altai district of Khakassia, should be examined and placed under supervision.
The earthquake measured 4.6 points on the open-ended Richter scale has occurred in Altai district of Khakassia 50 kilometres south of the republican centre of Abakan overnight to Sunday. According to preliminary reports, neither casualties nor destroyed buildings were reported, the Siberian regional emergency situation centre told Itar-Tass.
The Krasnoyarsk scientific-research institute of geology and mineral resources noted that the tremors in the epicentre measured about six points on the MSK-64 scale.