A magnitude 7.4 earthquake struck the Russian Far East on Saturday, the U.S. Geological Survey said, prompting a brief alert by the authorities that tsunami waves were possible at the Kamchatka Peninsula.
The quake hit off the east coast of the peninsula at around 2:40 p.m. local time, the U.S.G.S. said. It was at a depth of about 25 miles, which is considered shallow, meaning it could be destructive.
Its epicenter was about 70 miles east of the port city of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, which has a population of about 165,000. The tremors alarmed the city’s residents, who rushed out of homes, offices and shopping centers, according to one of Russia’s official news agencies, RIA Novosti.
Just over a month ago, the Kamchatka region was hit by an 8.8-magnitude earthquake, one of the strongest ever recorded. That quake set off tsunami waves in the Pacific Ocean, which reached as far away as Hawaii and California.
Vladimir Solodov, the governor of the Kamchatka Krai region, said in a statement on Saturday that a tsunami threat had been declared and urged caution at beaches. There were no immediate reports of serious damage, he said on Telegram.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s U.S. Tsunami Warning System initially warned that dangerous tsunami waves were possible along nearby coasts in Russia. But about an hour later, it said the tsunami threat had passed.
John Yoon is a Times reporter based in Seoul who covers breaking and trending news.
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