Eastern Russia Hit By 7.0 Magnitude Earthquake And Shiveluch Volcano Eruption

The Shiveluch volcano in Russia erupted following a 7.0 magnitude earthquake that struck off the eastern coast of the country, CNN reported, citing TASS.

According to visual evaluations, the ash column from the eruption is rising as high as 8 kilometers above sea level. The volcano has released a gush of lava, although there have been no reports of injuries.

Shiveluch is located approximately 280 miles from Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, a coastal city with a population of about 181,000 in Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula.

The US Geological Survey (USGS) reported that the earthquake’s epicenter was about 55 miles from Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, with a depth of about 30 miles. The quake caused no major damage; however, buildings are being inspected for potential damage, with special attention given to social facilities, CNN reported, citing TASS.

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The Russian Emergencies Ministry did not issue a tsunami warning for the tremor. However, the US Tsunami Warning System had warned that “hazardous tsunami waves from this earthquake are possible within 300 km [approximately 186 miles] of the epicenter along the coasts of Russia.”

Residents in the region evacuated their homes due to the tremors. The earthquake caused furniture to topple and dishes to break, TASS reported.

According to the Kamchatka branch of the Geophysical Service of the Russian Academy of Sciences, an aftershock occurred at 07:21 Kamchatka time (22:21 Moscow time) on Saturday. The magnitude of the aftershock was 4.7.

(WITH INPUTS FROM ANI)

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