Early Sunday morning local time, a magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck off the coast of Russia’s far-eastern Kamchatka Peninsula, according to the regional earthquake monitoring service.
Tremors were felt along the coast, including in the region’s capital Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, as reported by the local emergencies ministry.
Operational teams of rescuers and firefighters are currently inspecting buildings in the affected areas, as stated by the regional branch of Russia’s emergencies ministry in the Kamchatka region on Telegram.
The earthquake occurred at a depth of nearly 50 kilometers (30 miles) just after 7:00 am local time, approximately 90 kilometers east of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, according to the United States Geological Survey.
Initially, the US National Tsunami Warning Center issued a tsunami threat, but later confirmed that the threat had passed. Local authorities did not issue a tsunami alert.
Following the main quake, several aftershocks of lower intensity were recorded, as reported by the Kamchatka branch of Russia’s Unified Geophysical Service on its website.
The Kamchatka Peninsula, known for its seismically active nature, lies on the “Ring of Fire” surrounding most of the Pacific Ocean and is home to over two dozen active volcanoes.
