Strong earthquake of magnitude 7.8 rocks Russia’s far eastern Kamchatka peninsula, triggering tsunami alert

A powerful 7.8-magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of Russia’s far eastern Kamchatka peninsula early Friday, rocking buildings and prompting authorities to issue a tsunami alert, later lifted.

Videos posted on Russian social media showed furniture and light fixtures shaking in homes, while another showed a parked car rocking back and forth on a street.

The quake struck 128 kilometres (80 miles) east of the region’s capital, Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, and at a shallow depth of 10 kilometres (six miles), the US Geological Survey (USGS) reported.

The local branch of Russia’s state geophysical service gave a lower estimated magnitude of 7.4. It reported at least five aftershocks.

The US Pacific Tsunami Warning Center issued an alert for possible hazardous waves along nearby coastlines, but said several hours later that the threat had passed.

“This morning is once again testing the resilience of Kamchatka residents,” the governor of the region, Vladimir Solodov, said on Telegram.

“There are currently no reports of damage. I ask everyone to remain calm,” he added.

The Kamchatka peninsula lies on a tectonic belt known as the Ring of Fire, which surrounds most of the Pacific Ocean, and is a hotspot for seismic activity.

In July, an 8.8-magnitude mega-quake off the region’s coast triggered a tsunami that swept part of a coastal village into the sea and sparked warnings around the Pacific.