Magnitude 7.2 earthquake jolts Russia's off coast

A magnitude 7.2 earthquake struck off the east coast of Russia’s Kamchatka region at a depth of 51 km (32 miles), the European Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC) said.

The U.S. National Tsunami Warning Center said there was a tsunami threat from the quake.

But the Kamchatka branch of Russia’s emergency ministry reported that there was no threat of tsunami and that the recorded aftershocks from the quake ranged in their magnitude from 3.9 to 5.0.

“Most of the aftershocks are imperceptible,” the regional emergency authority said on Telegram.

Earlier this month, a 6.1-magnitude earthquake struck off Taiwan’s east coast, the United States Geological Survey said, with the island’s government confirming there were no reports of major damage.

READ: 6.1-magnitude earthquake shakes Taiwan

The tremor, which could be felt in the capital Taipei, hit at 7:35 am (2335 GMT) at a depth of 15 kilometres (about nine miles) near Hualien, epicentre of a major quake in April, according to the USGS.

Taiwan’s Central Weather Administration, which initially reported a 6.3-magnitude quake, issued a mobile phone alert warning people to “keep calm and seek cover nearby”.

In Hualien, two people trapped in elevators during the quake were rescued, according to the local fire bureau.

But the National Fire Agency said there was no major damage and that the island’s high-speed trains, rail and metro systems were all operating normally.

Still, the government urged vigilance in the wake of a 5.4-magnitude quake that triggered an alert.