7.4 magnitude earthquake hits Russia's Pacific coast, tsunami warning sounded

Three quakes with one measuring 7.4 on the Richter scale has hit Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula prompting a tsunami warning by the Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre. The larger quake hit 144 kilometers east of the city of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky at a depth of 20 kilometers.

All three quakes occurred within a span of 32 minutes in the same area off the coast of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky on Sunday, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS).

Two of the other tremors measuring 6.7 and 5.0 magnitude hit about 30 minutes before the larger quake, said USGS.

The city of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky has a population of over 163,152 people and is located in the Kamchatka Region facing the Pacific.

The Kamchatka peninsula is a strong seismic zone as it is the meeting point of the Pacific and North American tectonic plates

As of now, there are no reports of significant damage or casualties from the earthquakes.

After the second quake a tsunami warning was also issued by Russia’s Emergencies Ministry that urging residents living along the coast to stay away from the shore.