PETROPAVLOVSK-KAMCHATSKIY: A 6.1 magnitude earthquake struck off the southern coast of the Kamchatka Peninsula in Russia’s Far East on Wednesday, with two subsequent aftershocks hitting the area within three hours after the initial quake, according to the map of the geophysical service of the Russian Academy of Sciences.

The initial earthquake was registered at 6.03 pm local time (06:03 GMT) near the southern part of the peninsula, with seismic shocks felt in the city of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatskiy, reported Sputnik.

Two aftershocks followed the earthquake later in the day, with the latest being of 4.1 magnitude registered at 8.44 pm local time. Its epicenter was located at a depth of 41 kilometres (25 miles), 205 kilometres away from Petropavlovsk-Kamchatskiy.

Kamchatka is located in the northeastern part of a seismically active zone in the Pacific Ocean known as the Ring of Fire and regularly suffers from powerful earthquakes. - Bernama