Shiveluch volcano erupts after 7.0 magnitude earthquake strikes off eastern Russian coast

Moscow [Russia], August 18 (ANI): Shiveluch volcano in Russia erupted after a 7.0 magnitude earthquake that struck off the eastern coast of the country, CNN reported, citing TASS.

As per the visual evaluations, the ash column is rising as high as 8 kilometres above the sea level, CNN reported, citing TASS. The report said that the volcano had released a gush of lava. No reports of injuries have been made.

Shiveluch volcano is located around 280 miles from Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, a coastal city that has a population of about 181,000 that lies in Russia’s Kamchatka.

The US Geological Survey (USGS) said that the earthquake’s epicentre was about 55 miles from Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky and had a depth of about 30 miles.

The quake caused no “major damage.” However, buildings are being examined for potential damage, with special attention paid to social facilities, CNN reported, citing TASS.

The Russian Emergencies Ministry did not issue a tsunami warning due to the tremor. However, the US Tsunami Warning System had warned that “hazardous tsunami waves from this earthquake are possible within 300 km [approximately 186 miles] of the epicentre along the coasts of Russia.”

Residents of the region left their homes due to tremors. Furniture toppled and dishes were broken due to the earthquake, TASS reported.

According to the Kamchatka branch of the Geophysical Service of the Russian Academy of Sciences, the aftershock occurred at 07:21 Kamchatka time (22:21 Moscow time) on Saturday. The magnitude of the earthquake was 4.7.