A powerful undersea earthquake with a magnitude of 7.4 struck off the eastern coast of Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula on Sunday, prompting brief tsunami warnings that were later lifted, authorities confirmed.
According to revised data from the German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ), the quake occurred at a shallow depth of 10 kilometers beneath the seafloor, intensifying its impact. The European Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC) and GFZ both confirmed the final magnitude at 7.4, after initial reports placed it at 6.7.
The U.S. National Tsunami Warning Center had issued a precautionary tsunami watch for Hawaii, which was rescinded shortly after. Russian emergency officials also lifted the tsunami alert for Kamchatka, which had been triggered earlier amid concerns that waves of up to 60 centimeters could strike parts of the coastline, including the regional capital, Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky.
No immediate reports of casualties or major damage have emerged, but emergency teams remain on alert in the seismically active region. The Kamchatka Peninsula, located along the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” is no stranger to powerful earthquakes and volcanic activity.
-WNN Desk
