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Russia ready to help China deal with earthquake aftermath

Shortly after the earthquake, thousands of tourists were evacuated from the Jiuzhaigou County

© EPA/ZHENG LEI

MOSCOW, August 9. /TASS/. Russian Emergencies Minister Vladimir Puchkov has offered assistance to Chinese Civil Affairs Minister Huang Shuxian after a powerful earthquake in China, the ministry’s press service informed TASS.

"The Russian Emergencies Ministry is ready to assist China in dealing with the aftermath of the devastating earthquake that hit the Sichuan province. Russian Emergencies Minister Vladimir Puchkov has sent a telegram to Chinese Civil Affairs Minister Huang Shuxian offering condolences and Russian rescuers’ assistance," the press service said.

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"Russian Emergencies Ministry rescuers have extensive experience of dealing with the consequences of earthquakes abroad. They took part in various search and rescue operations caused by these natural disasters in various parts of the world - in Haiti, Turkey, Japan, Nepal and Chine," the ministry stressed.

China’s Jiuzhaigou County in the Sichuan Province was struck by a 7.0-magnitude earthquake at about 21:19 local time (16:19 Moscow time) on Tuesday. The epicenter of the quake was located some 280-300 kilometers away from the provincial capital Chengdu, at the depth of 20 kilometers.

More than 770 aftershocks followed, most of them not exceeding the magnitude of 3.9. At least 130,000 houses have been damaged. Shortly after the quake, some 30,000 tourists were evacuated from the Jiuzhaigou County.

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