Magnitude 7.4 quake strikes off Russian Far East, tsunami warning lifted

Mangalore Today News Network

Russia, Sep 13, 2025: A magnitude 7.4 earthquake struck the Russian Far East on Saturday, the US Geological Survey said, prompting authorities to warn that tsunami waves were possible at the Kamchatka Peninsula.

The quake hit off the east coast of the Kamchatka Peninsula at around 2:40 pm local time, the USGS 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.

Vladimir Solodov, the governor of the Kamchatka Krai region, said in a statement that a tsunami threat had been declared and urged caution at beaches. There were no immediate reports of serious damage, he said on Telegram.

Dangerous tsunami waves, 0.3 to 1 meter above tide level, were possible in Russia for coasts located within about 190 miles of the quake’s epicenter, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s US Tsunami Warning System said.

In July, the region was hit by an 8.8-magnitude earthquake, one of the strongest ever recorded. It prompted tsunami warnings across the Pacific region, as far away as California.