NEWS
NEWS

Powerful magnitude-7.8 earthquake shakes Russia's far east Kamchatka region

  • AP
Updated

A powerful 7.8 magnitude earthquake has struck near the east coast of Russia's Kamchatka region, the U.S. Geological Survey said. There were no immediate reports of damage

An Oscar II-class nuclear submarine on Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula.
An Oscar II-class nuclear submarine on Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula.AP

The quake's epicenter was 127 kilometers (79 miles) east of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky and it struck at 6:58 a.m. Friday local time, according to the USGS. It had a depth of 19.5 kms.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning System briefly issued a tsunami threat but later lifted it.

The initial quake was followed by a series of aftershocks of up to magnitude 5.8.

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