Strong 5.8 magnitude earthquake hits Kamchatka

A magnitude 5.8 earthquake struck the Pacific Ocean off the eastern coast of Kamchatka, shaking residents of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, authorities reported.

According to the Kamchatka branch of the Federal Research Centre of the Unified Geophysical Service of the Russian Academy of Sciences, the quake occurred at 18:46 local time (06:46 GMT). The epicentre was located roughly 190 km from the regional capital, at a depth of approximately 39.4 km.

In Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, tremors were felt at up to four points on the intensity scale.

Kamchatka remains in a seismically active zone following a powerful magnitude 8.8 earthquake on July 30. Since then, scientists have been monitoring daily aftershocks, most of which are too minor to be felt in populated areas. While the intensity of these tremors is gradually declining, the region continues to operate under a natural emergency regime.

By Vugar Khalilov