MAGNITUDE 6.9 EARTHQUAKE STRIKES KAMCHATKA

PETROPAVLOVSK-KAMCHATSKY, OCTOBER 16 /SRNA/ - An earthquake measuring 6.9 on the Richter scale was recorded in Kamchatka, the Kamchatka branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences’ Geophysical Survey reported.

Scientists initially estimated the earthquake’s magnitude at 6.5 but later revised it to 6.9. In the region, the tremor was felt with an intensity equivalent to a magnitude-five earthquake.

"According to verified data, the magnitude of this seismic event was 6.9 on the Richter scale. The epicenter was on land, 156 kilometers southwest of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, at a depth of 138 kilometers. In Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, the earthquake was felt with an intensity equivalent to a magnitude-five tremor," the seismologists said.

Several residents of the regional administrative center left their apartments because of the shaking. Chandeliers and light fixtures swayed in residential buildings, doors slammed shut, and tableware rattled on tables, a TASS correspondent reported.

There have been no reports of casualties or significant material damage so far.