Russia's 'oldest person' dies at 122

A man thought to be Russia's oldest person has died at the age of 122, authorities in the North Caucasus region of Dagestan said on September 11. 

 

Magomed Labazanov, a retired labourer who lived in Serebryakovka village close to the city of Kizlyar, died early Friday, the local government said on its website.

Labazanov was reportedly born in Dagestan and worked in a sawmill and later on a farm. He never learned to read and write.

The date of his birth has not been authenticated as he did not have an original birth certificate.

According to the Guinness World Records, the oldest person in the world is Besse Cooper of the United States, who turned 116 last month.

The mountainous North Caucasus is famed for its long-lived elders, although the turmoil of the Soviet era means that many do not have documents proving their age.

Labazanov was one of the thousands of people in North Caucasus republics who were uprooted during World War II on Stalin's orders and deported to Central Asia, returning only in the 1950s.

Russian tabloid Komsomolskaya Pravda said he attributed his long life to a simple diet of corn bread, whey, fruits and vegetables.

Hi did not drink alcohol or smoke, it said. Labazanov celebrated his 122nd birthday on 1^st May, according to local media. His long life is exceptional in Russia, where the average life expectancy for a man is currently 63.