7.4-magnitude quake hits off east coast of Russia's Kamchatka, tsunami alert issued

MOSCOW - A 7.4-magnitude earthquake struck off the eastern coast of the Kamchatka Peninsula, Russia, the local geophysical service said on Thursday, Xinhua reported.

The quake occurred at 1858 GMT with its epicentre located about 149 km from Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, the regional capital, at a depth of 39km, according to the Kamchatka branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences' Geophysical Survey.

Kamchatka Governor Vladimir Solodov said in a Telegram post that a tsunami alert has been issued for the eastern coast of the peninsula and residents were being notified.

All services have been put on high alert, he said, adding that authorities began immediate inspections of social facilities and residential buildings after the quake.

In an updated post, Solodov said waves of up to 1.5 metres could be expected in some parts of the coastal area, while in the more densely populated Petropavlovsk area, the waves were estimated to be less than 0.1 metres, according to hydrometeorological authorities.

A series of aftershocks was recorded, including at least 10 above the magnitude of 5, according to data from the local geophysical service. - BERNAMA-XINHUA