WASHINGTON: A magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck off the coast of Russia's Far Eastern Kamchatka Peninsula early Sunday local time, according to the regional earthquake monitoring service.
The local emergencies ministry said tremors were felt along the coast, including in the region's capital, Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky.
“Rescue and fire crews are inspecting the buildings,” the regional branch of the Russian Emergencies Ministry in the Kamchatka region reported on Telegram.
The quake struck at a depth of nearly 50 kilometers (30 miles) shortly after 7 a.m. local time, about 90 kilometers (56 miles) east of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, the U.S. Geological Survey said.
The U.S. National Tsunami Warning Center had initially issued a tsunami threat, but later said the threat had passed. Local authorities never issued a tsunami warning.
Several aftershocks were recorded after the initial quake, but of lesser intensity, the Kamchatka branch of the Unified Geophysical Service of Russia reported on its website.
The peninsula lies in a seismically active belt that encircles most of the Pacific Ocean, known as the “Ring of Fire,” and is home to more than two dozen active volcanoes.
