Magnitude 7.2 earthquake hits eastern coast of Russia’s Kamchatka region

A magnitude 7.2 earthquake struck off the eastern coast of Russia’s Kamchatka region, in the country’s Far East.

The regional branch of the Unified Geophysical Service of the Russian Academy of Sciences said on Telegram that the quake in the Pacific had a depth of 5 kilometers (3.1 miles), Caliber.Az reports, citing foreign media outlets.

It said the epicenter of the earthquake was 161 kilometers (100 miles) from Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, the region’s administrative center.

The earthquake followed two earlier tremors of magnitude 5.5 and 6.7, respectively, and was later followed by two more recorded to be 6.7 and 6.3 magnitude.

A tsunami threat was declared in the region’s Aleutsky and Ust-Kamchatsky municipal districts, as well as the Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky urban district, according to the Emergency Situations Ministry.

The ministry said a tsunami wave no higher than 60 cm may approach the Aleutsky district, while a wave no higher than 40 cm and 15 cm may approach Ust-Kamchatsky and Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, respectively.

It recommended that residents of coastal settlements move away to areas where elevation is 30-40 meters above sea level, and to head at least two to three kilometers from the shore if there is no elevation nearby.

"At present, all medical institutions have been examined, educational and social institutions are being inspected, significant damage has not yet been detected," Kamchatka Governor Vladimir Solodov said on Telegram.

By Khagan Isayev