A state of emergency has been declared in Tuva, Central Siberia, close to the border with Mongolia. An earthquake of magnitude 6.7 on the Richter scale hit the area in the early hours of Wednesday. The Russian Emergency Situations Ministry has dispatched extra units to the region to deal with the aftermath of the quake, as well as the aftershocks which have occurred. Inhabitants of the region remain upbeat, joking about the coming of the often predicted end of the world.
About 16 thousand people are checking houses on the ground and from the air, as well as electricity stations and other essential facilities, and are helping the people of Tuva. The republic was hit by the most powerful quake in its history, on the night of Wednesday. Estimates put the quake's magnitude at 6.7 and 9 in the epi-center, which lies 100 kilometers east of the regional capital of Kyzyl, at a depth of 10 kilometers. Several aftershocks have been reported. In the morning, the magnitude of the quake had come down to 4.7. Seismologists report several smaller quakes of low intensity near the epi-center.
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