Russian President Vladimir Putin "has ordered the immediate check of all 200 buildings and venues associated with the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics" following a 5.3 earthquake that hit the Black Sea region, according to Jacquelin Magnay of the London TELEGRAPH. The epicenter of the quake was almost 100 miles from Sochi in the Black Sea. Just hours before the tremor there was a gas explosion at the Sochi local power station, "cutting power for a short time" (TELEGRAPH, 12/27). REUTERS' Vladimir Soldatkin noted Irina Gogoleva, of Russia's Emergencies Ministry, said that no one was hurt and there was "no apparent damage to the city's infrastructure" (REUTERS, 12/26).
LONG ROAD AHEAD: Putin's spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said, "The president ordered the Emergencies Ministry to pay close attention to the shocks in Sochi and other cities. He asked that special attention is paid to construction sites to make sure they suffer no damage." The AFP noted Olympic developers in Sochi "are managing two giant construction sites," one in the mountains and the other by the Black Sea, that are connected by an unfinished road. Although some sports events have already been hosted by the city, "much of the supporting infrastructure is still unfinished, while residents complain of constant power and water outages" (AFP, 12/27).
