More than 60,000 people affected by earthquake in Tibet

The number of affected residents of the Tibet Autonomous Region of the People's Republic of China after the earthquake near the town of Shigajie has exceeded 60,000 people. This was announced by Hao Tao, deputy head of the Tibet Autonomous Region Emergency Department, at a briefing broadcast by China Television.

The meeting was told that as of January 9, 126 people had died in the disaster and 61,500 had been injured. Rescue teams have already helped more than 400 residents get out from under the rubble. Search and rescue efforts are at a critical stage.

The Organization and Instruction Department of the Communist Party Central Committee has allocated 50 million yuan to help the Tibet Autonomous Region, the meeting indicated.

The earthquake struck Tuesday, Jan. 7, in China near the border with Nepal and Bangladesh. The tremors were recorded in the Tibet Autonomous Region. The epicenter was located at a depth of 10 km and at a distance of 63 km southwest of the city of Shigadze, which is inhabited by 80 thousand people.

According to the latest data, there was no information about presence of Russian citizens in the earthquake zone in the south-west of China. The Russian Embassy is actively cooperating with the Chinese authorities.

Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed his condolences to Chinese President Xi Jinping in connection with the loss of life in the earthquake. He also said that Russia shares the grief of those who lost relatives and friends because of the disaster. Federation Council Speaker Valentina Matviyenko also expressed condolences.