MOSCOW, January 8. /TASS/. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov expressed condolences to his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi over the earthquake that occurred in the Tibet Autonomous Region of China, according to a statement on the Telegram channel of the Russian Embassy in Beijing.
"Dear Mr. Wang Yi, please accept my deep condolences in connection with the earthquake that occurred in the Tibet Autonomous Region of China, which caused significant casualties and destruction. Please convey words of sincere sympathy to the families and friends of the victims, as well as wishes for a speedy recovery to the injured," Lavrov said.
Earlier, the US Geological Survey reported that a magnitude 7.1 earthquake had struck the Tibet Autonomous Region on the border with Nepal. Its epicenter was 163 km southwest of the city of Shigatse, with a population of around 80,000, and the epicenter was at a depth of 10 km. According to the Russian Embassy in Beijing, there were no reports of Russians in this seismic zone.
The earthquake destroyed many residential buildings and infrastructure. More than 400 military personnel are taking part in search and rescue operations, and people have been evacuated from the disaster zone. According to the latest data from the Xinhua News Agency, the death toll from the earthquake has risen to 126, with another 188 people injured.