MOSCOW, Dec. 27 (UPI) -- President Vladimir Putin has ordered relief preparations for Russians caught in the Asian tidal wave disaster, Interfax news agency said Monday.
Putin has instructed Emergency Situations Minister Sergei Shoigu to make sure his department is prepared to provide assistance to Russian citizens in the disaster zone, Interfax said.
"You must be ready to provide immediate help, evacuation or medical aid to our citizens, who happened to be in the disaster zone," the president told Shoigu.
At least 23,000 people including many tourists vacationing on beaches around the Indian Ocean are believed to have been killed by the tidal waves caused by a gigantic earthquake deep beneath the Indian Ocean early Sunday morning. The quake measured 9.0 on the Richter scale.
