7.1 magnitude earthquake hits eastern Russia, tsunami feared

A powerful earthquake struck off the coast of Russia's eastern Kamchatka region on Saturday. The German Research Center for Geosciences (GFZ) said the quake had a magnitude of 7.1 on the Richter scale and was just 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) deep.

Reuters quoted the US Geological Survey (USGS) as saying the quake had a magnitude of 7.4 and a depth of 39.5 kilometers (24.5 miles), which led to a discrepancy in the figures.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning System issued a warning that the tremor could trigger a tsunami. However, Japan, which is located southwest of the Kamchatka Peninsula, did not issue a tsunami warning, according to its meteorological agency.

The incident came at a time when a very strong earthquake had struck the same region some time earlier, on July 30. At that time, tremors of magnitude 8.8 were felt off the coast of Kamchatka, the largest since 1952. The quake not only damaged buildings but also generated tsunami waves up to 4 meters (13 feet) high, after which emergency warnings and evacuation orders were issued in various parts of the Pacific Ocean.

According to Reuters, the July earthquake injured several people in remote areas of Kamchatka, while precautionary evacuations were also ordered in areas of the eastern coast of Japan, which brings back memories of the devastating earthquake and tsunami of 2011.

Now, once again, this new earthquake in the region has created an atmosphere of fear and uncertainty among people, and experts are closely monitoring the situation.