According to the China Earthquake Network, at 7:24 AM Beijing time on July 30th, a 7.9 magnitude earthquake occurred off the eastern coast of Kamchatka in Russia (52.40 north latitude, 160.20 east longitude), with a depth of 10 kilometers. Within an hour, there were successive 6.9 and 6.0 magnitude earthquakes. Subsequently, after verification by the China Earthquake Network Center, the 7.9 magnitude earthquake was reclassified as 8.7 magnitude.
The Russian Academy of Sciences’ Institute of Geodesy and Geophysics in Kamchatka reported that this 8.7 magnitude earthquake is the strongest earthquake in the Kamchatka seismic zone since 1952. Additionally, it was also considered the largest earthquake in the past 14 years.
Following the earthquake, the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations stated that a tsunami had struck the country’s Far Eastern coast, submerging a port town with about 2,000 people living there.
After the Russian earthquake, a tsunami submerged a port town with 2,000 people
In a statement, the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations said, “The tsunami submerged parts of the port city of North Kulichorsk… Local residents have been evacuated.”
A video posted on social media showed buildings in the town being submerged by the sea.
Russian news agency TASS quoted the head of the Kamchatka Peninsula Health Ministry, Melnikov, saying, “Unfortunately, some patients were injured in the earthquake… All patients are in good condition. There are no serious casualties reported yet.”
This strong quake in the Kamchatka Peninsula marks the strongest earthquake in the region since 1952, with regional seismological monitoring agencies reporting potential aftershocks up to 7.5 magnitude.
This major earthquake has also reminded people of two historical earthquakes. One was the 9.1 magnitude earthquake in 2011 that triggered a tsunami severely damaging Japan, resulting in nearly 20,000 deaths or missing persons and triggering the Fukushima nuclear disaster.
The other was the 9.0 magnitude earthquake in 1952 in the Kamchatka region of Russia, which did not cause any fatalities but caused a tsunami that lifted waves up to 9.1 meters high in Hawaii. It was reported that the epicenter of this earthquake was approximately 45 kilometers southeast of the epicenter of the 1952 earthquake.
(Yangcheng Evening News • Yangcheng Pai comprehensive from news, Red Star News, Xiaochun Morning News)
A strong earthquake occurred off the eastern coast of Kamchatka