The telegram said, in part:
“With deep sorrow I have learned of a natural calamity in Algeria – a devastating earthquake which claimed so many lives and caused a great deal of devastation.
I offer my sincere condolences and sympathy to you and the friendly people of Algeria, the families and relatives of the victims.”
On Mr Putin’s instructions Russia’s Ministry for Emergency Situations has sent a group of rescuers to Algeria to provide humanitarian assistance, to organize rescue work and relief operations.
An earthquake measuring 6.7 on the Richter scale hit Algeria last night killing more than 540 people and injuring 4,640. The capital, Algiers, and its outskirts suffered the most, especially the district of Bumerdesa, which was at the epicenter of the earthquake.