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8.0 earthquake strikes off Russian coast
Japan's meteorological agency said on Wednesday that a powerful earthquake hit near Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula and issued a tsunami advisory for Japan.
The agency said the quake occurred at 8:25 a.m. and registered a preliminary magnitude of 8.0. It issued an advisory for a tsunami of up to 1 yard along the Pacific coast of Japan. A tsunami advisory was also issued for the Aleutian Islands in Alaska, and a tsunami watch was issued for Hawaii, the U.S. National Weather Service said.
So far, no damage has been reported.
The quake was about 160 miles away from Hokkaido, Japan's northernmost of the country's four big islands, and was felt only slightly, according to Japan's NHK television.
The U.S. Geological Survey said it hit at a depth of 19.3 kilometers. There was no immediate information from Russia about how Kamchatka was affected.
A University of Tokyo seismologist, Shinichi Sakai, told NHK that a distant earthquake could cause a tsunami that affects Japan if its epicenter is shallow.
Japan, part of the area known as the Pacific ring of fire, is one of the world's most quake-prone country. It's Russia's second major earthquake this month that occurred in the same peninsula.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
