Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, Russia, Jul 15 (UNI) A magnitude 5.4 earthquake hit the coast of Russia's South Kuril islands in the early hours of Wednesday, the Sakhalin Region branch of the Geophysical Survey of the Russian Academy of Sciences told Sputnik.
"A 5.4-magnitude earthquake was registered on Wednesday at 1321 hrs (GMT)... with the epicenter 116 kilometers [71 miles] east of Yuzhno-Kurilsk on the Kunashir Island," Elena Semyonova, the head of the Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk seismological station, said.
According to Semyonova, the quake's epicenter was 183 kilometers deep (113.7 miles).
No casualties or destruction have been reported.
The Kuril Islands are located in a seismically active zone known as the Ring of Fire, which is regularly affected by powerful earthquakes. On November 5, 1952, the 9.0 magnitude earthquake triggered a huge tsunami that devastated the town of Severo-Kurilsk, leaving more than 2,300 people killed.
UNI XC-RHK0939