Earthquake off Russia's Kuril Islands prompts tsunami warning

World Wednesday 25/March/2020 17:39 PM
By: Times News Service
Earthquake off Russia's Kuril Islands prompts tsunami warning

An earthquake measuring 7.5 on the Richter scale struck off the coast of Kuril Islands in the far east of Russia on Wednesday, triggering a tsunami warning for the nearby shores. There is an ongoing investigation to determine the threat.

According to the United States Geological Survey the earthquake hit a depth of 59 kilometres (37 miles), around 1,400 kilometres (around 850 miles) northeast of the Japanese city of Sapporo.

"This earthquake has the potential to generate a destructive tsunami in the source region," the US Tsunami Warning Center said, adding that it was "analyzing the event to determine the level of danger".
A tsunami watch alert was also issued for Hawaii, but was canceled shortly afterward.