TEMPO.CO, Jakarta – According to the regional earthquake monitoring service, a magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck off the Kamchatka Peninsula in Russia’s far east shortly after 7 a.m. local time on Sunday, August 18, 2024.

The local emergency management ministry said the quake was felt along the coast and also in the region’s capital, Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky.

“Rescue teams and firefighters are checking buildings,” the regional branch of the Russian Emergency Situations Ministry in the Kamchatka region said via Telegram.

So far, no significant damage has been reported.

“According to scientists, a very active aftershock process is currently underway. However, scientists estimate the probability of another strong earthquake to be quite low,” said Kamchatka Governor Vladimir Solodov.

According to the United States Geological Survey, the earthquake occurred at a depth of nearly 50 kilometers, about 90 kilometers east of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky.

The U.S. National Tsunami Warning Center initially issued a tsunami warning, but later declared it over. The local government never issued a tsunami warning.

After the first quake, several aftershocks were recorded, although they were of lower intensity, the Kamchatka branch of the Russian Integrated Geophysical Service reported on its website.

The peninsula lies in an active earthquake belt that surrounds large parts of the Pacific Ocean and is known as the “Ring of Fire”. There are over two dozen active volcanoes here.

CNA | ANALYTICAL

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