SOCHI, May 15 (RIA Novosti) - Russian President Vladimir Putin said Friday that rebuilding work in Russia's Far East after a powerful earthquake in April should be completed by the end of summer.
Putin urged his envoy to the region, Kamil Iskhakov, to help the restoration work in the sparsely populated Koryak Autonomous Area, nine time zones away from Moscow, because the summer was very short and sub-zero temperatures could arrive in August.
"[You] need to help them rebuild everything as soon as possible," Putin said.
Iskhakov said more than 1,550 people were considering away from the Kamchatka Pensinula in the wake of the April 21 quake, which measured 7.8 on the Richter scale, but the indigenous population intended to stay.
Iskhakov said earthquake damage had been put at least 20 million rubles (more than 742,000$).
