Magnitude 6.5 quake strikes off Russia’s Kuril Islands

A magnitude 6.5 earthquake has struck off the coast of Russia’s Kuril Islands, shaking parts of the Far Eastern region but causing no immediate reports of casualties or damage.

Russia’s Seismological Branch of the Academy of Sciences said the tremor hit at 15:20 local time in Sakhalin (06:20 GMT) at a depth of 62km, Caliber.Az reports, citing Russian media.

Its epicentre was located 232km south-east of Severo-Kurilsk, where residents reported shaking measuring 3 to 4 on the local intensity scale.

The Kuril Islands sit in the seismically active Pacific “Ring of Fire”, an area prone to powerful earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.

By Aghakazim Guliyev