Earthquake Of Magnitude 7 Strikes Russia, Japan Mistakenly Issues 9.9 Warning

An earthquake of magnitude 7 has struck the Kamchatka Peninsula region of Russia, the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC) said.

The quake was at a depth of 140 km (86.99 miles). Its epicentre was located around 123 km southwest of Vilyuchinsk in Russia's Far East, EMSC said.

The seismic event was recorded at around 3:35 pm local time.

No tsunami alert was issued in the immediate aftermath of the quake, with the US National Tsunami Warning Center saying there was no danger following the tremors.

Further details about any damages or casualties due to the impact of the earthquake were not immediately available.

Japan's Meteorological Agency (JMA) mistakenly issued an early warning estimating a magnitude 9.9 earthquake and forecasting strong shaking across much of the country, contrary to the fact that their actual reading measured 6.9, according to data cited by BNO News.

If the warning was correct, it would have been the strongest earthquake ever recorded. The largest instrumentally recorded earthquake in history was the 1960 Valdivia earthquake, with a magnitude of 9.5.

The Kamchatka Peninsula lies on a tectonic belt known as the Ring of Fire, which surrounds most of the Pacific Ocean, and is a hotspot for seismic activity.

Last year in July, an 8.8-magnitude mega-quake off the region's coast triggered a tsunami that swept part of a coastal village into the sea.