YUZHNO-SAKHALINSK: A 4.9 magnitude earthquake was registered on Thursday near Russia’s Kuril islands, Elena Semenova, the head of the Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk seismological station, told Sputnik.
“The 4.9 magnitude earthquake was registered at 9:43 a.m. local time (22:43 GMT on Wednesday). The epicentre was located at a depth of 55 kilometers (over 34 miles) 32 kilometers east of the island of Matua,“ Semenova said.
There is no information about any victims or damage caused by the earthquake. No tsunami alert has been declared.
The Kuril Islands are located in a seismically active zone known as the Ring of Fire, which is regularly affected by powerful earthquakes. On November 5, 1952, a 9.0-magnitude earthquake triggered a huge tsunami that devastated the town of Severo-Kurilsk, leaving more than 2,300 people killed. - Bernama
