Russian emergency ministry says ready to aid quake-hit China

The Russian Ministry for Emergency Situations said in a statement Wednesday that it is ready to help China to cope with the impact of a strong earthquake in the country's southwestern Sichuan Province Tuesday.

According to the statement, the Russian Emergency Minister Vladimir Puchkov has sent a message to the Chinese Minister of Civil Affairs Huang Shuxian, expressing his condolences and offering assistance of Russian rescuers.

"We share your grief and our thoughts go out to the families of the killed and injured," Puchkov told Huang.

Under an agreement on cooperation in disaster management signed by the Russian and Chinese governments, the Russian emergency ministry is ready to provide assistance if necessary, said Puchkov. 

Nineteen people have been killed and 263 got injured in a 7.0-magnitude earthquake that struck a remote area in southwest China's Sichuan Province Tuesday night.