Putin approves emergency aid to Siberian earthquake victims
Moscow-AP -- Russia's president is ordering immediate aid for victims of two powerful earthquakes in southern Siberia. Saturday's tremors toppled homes, sent boulders crashing down into roads and knocked out power and water supplies to hundreds of people. But it took two days for word to reach Moscow about the extent of the damage.
No one was killed in the quakes.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered his Cabinet to make a plan for distributing aid. Officials are reportedly traveling to the region to assess the damage.
Five regions in the remote Altai republic have declared a state of emergency. Some 850 homes have been destroyed in one mountainous region. Schools, hospitals and other public buildings have also been damaged. And Russian T-V shows footage of residents clad in thick overcoats, huddled around fires.
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