Magnitude 5.3 quake strikes near Russia's Novosibirsk–Altai border

A magnitude 5.3 earthquake struck southwestern Siberia in the early hours of Friday, July 18, according to Russian and U.S. seismic monitoring agencies.

The earthquake occurred at 4:09 local time on July 18, the Altai-Sayan Branch of the Federal Research Centre "Unified Geophysical Service of the Russian Academy of Sciences" said, Caliber.Az reports.

Russian seismologists estimated the shaking intensity at the epicentre at approximately 6.8 on the Mercalli intensity scale, indicating strong ground shaking in the immediate area.

According to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), the epicentre was located near the village of Burla in Russia's Altai Krai, close to the administrative border with the neighbouring Novosibirsk Region. The epicentre was approximately 43 kilometres from the city of Karasuk and about 50 kilometres from the resort town of Yarovoye.

Authorities are assessing the impact of the earthquake. No immediate reports of casualties or significant damage were available, and officials said information on the consequences of the quake is still being verified.

By Sabina Mammadli