7.4-magnitude quake hits off east coast of Russia’s Kamchatka, tsunami alert issued

A 7.4-magnitude earthquake struck off Russia’s Kamchatka coast, triggering a tsunami alert. Governor Solodov said waves up to 1.5 meters were possible, as multiple strong aftershocks were also recorded.

Moscow: A 7.4-magnitude earthquake struck off the eastern coast of the Kamchatka Peninsula in Russia, the local geophysical service said.

The quake occurred at 18:58 GMT, with its epicenter located about 149 km from Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, the regional capital, at a depth of 39 km, according to the Kamchatka branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences’ Geophysical Survey, Xinhua news agency reported.

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There were no immediate reports of damage.

Kamchatka Governor Vladimir Solodov said in a Telegram post that a tsunami alert had been issued for the eastern coast of the peninsula and residents were being notified.

All services were put on high alert, he added, noting that authorities had begun immediate inspections of social facilities and residential buildings after the quake.

In an updated post, Solodov said waves of up to 1.5 meters could be expected in some coastal areas, while in the more densely populated Petropavlovsk area, the waves were estimated at less than 0.1 meters, according to hydrometeorological authorities.

A series of aftershocks was recorded, including at least 10 above magnitude 5, according to data from the local geophysical service.

The remote Kamchatka region has been hit by a series of powerful earthquakes over the past two months, including one of magnitude 8.8 and two of magnitude 7.4.