Moscow - Saba:
The head of the Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk seismological station in Russia, Yelena Semenova, said two earthquakes occurred on Wednesday off the coast of the Kuril Islands, 20 minutes apart.
The expert said: "An earthquake measuring 5.1 on the Richter scale occurred in the Pacific Ocean on July 30 at 6:23 PM (10:23 AM Moscow time).
The epicenter was 131 kilometers southeast of Iturup Island, and its epicenter was at a depth of 61 kilometers.
Residents of the village of Malukurelskoye on Shikotan Island felt an earthquake measuring 3.0 on the Richter scale."
Semenova added that just 20 minutes later, another earthquake measuring 5.0 was recorded, with its epicenter 79 kilometers southeast of Severo-Kurilsk. The second earthquake, measuring 3.0, was felt in Severo-Kurilsk.This morning, an earthquake struck off the coast of Kamchatka, the strongest in the entire observation period: 8.8 magnitude.
The Meteorological and Environmental Monitoring Service recorded a tsunami wave up to four meters high in the region. The city of Severo-Kurilsk was submerged, and a state of emergency was declared in the region.
According to the Kamchatka Regional Health Ministry, the tremors caused injuries, but no serious injuries among residents. The region is likely to experience aftershocks this month, possibly with a magnitude of up to 7.5.
A tsunami warning was also issued for the entire east coast of Japan and in the US states of Alaska, California, and Oregon.