MOSCOW, August 4 (RIA Novosti) – Russian President Vladimir Putin has extended his condolences to his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping over the deadly earthquake in the southwestern province of Yunnan and said that Russia was ready to assist in relief operations, the Kremlin’s press service reported Monday.
“The head of the Russian state has offered his words of sympathy and support to the families and friends of the victims to Chinese President Xi Jinping and also wished a speedy recovery to all the injured. The Russian president expressed the country’s readiness to assist in relief operations in case of emergency,” the statement read.
The 6.1-magnitude earthquake hit China’s southwestern province of Yunnan on Sunday. The shocks were registered at 4.30 p.m. (08:30 GMT). The epicenter was 11 kilometers (9 miles) from Wenping and 29 kilometers from Zhaotong. The quake struck at a depth of about 10 kilometers.
The death toll from the quake, the strongest to hit the province in the past 14 years, has surpassed 380, with about 1,900 injured.
