MOSCOW (AP) - A major earthquake hit a distant region of Russia's Far East on Friday, causing unknown damage and casualties, a Russian emergency official said. The U.S. Geological Survey and Japan's Meteorological Agency estimated the quake's magnitude at 7.7. The quake struck at 12:25 p.m. local time in the Koryak region, nearly 7,000 kilometres east of Moscow and some 1,000 kilometres north of the largest city in the area, Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, said Oleg Kotosanov, a duty officer with the regional emergency situations ministry.
The great San Francisco earthquake of 1906, which destroyed more than one-half of the city's buildings and left between 3,000 and 6,000 people dead 100 years ago this week, was estimated at a magnitude of between 7.7 and 7.9.
UPDATE ON THEM 3 RUSSIAN QUAKE SATURDAY APRIL 22,2006
Quake destroys three Russian villages: report
Sat Apr 22, 1:23 AM ET
MOSCOW (AFP) - One of three earthquakes that hit Russia's remote northeastern Kamchatka peninsula almost completely destroyed three small villages, local authorities were quoted as saying by Interfax news agency. Inhabitants called the Koryakiya region's administration on a satellite phone to report that "the villages are practically entirely destroyed, even brick stoves fell apart," officials said, adding that rescuers flown in by helicopter were assessing the situation. The temblor measuring 6.1 on the Richter scale struck at 1114 GMT, at a depth of 40 kilometers (25 miles). It was located in Koryakiya, some 250 kilometers (155 miles) northeast of Il'pyrskiy and 6,300 kilometers (3,910 miles) north-northeast of Moscow.
The quake was the third that rocked the peninsula on Friday, according to the Kamchatka seismological service, the first measuring a massive 7.9 degrees and the second 6.2.
Thousands of people in Koryakiya, a sparsely populated district, were affected by the earlier quakes, but only four required medical attention, with about 50 more believed to have only minor injuries, the emergency situations ministry said. The Kamchatka peninsula, which is roughly the same size as Japan, is one of Russia's wildest regions, known for hot springs, 29 active volcanos and a large population of brown bears.
Strong earthquake strikes eastern Japan; 3 injured, no tsunami danger
Fri Apr 21, 12:09 AM ET
TOKYO (AP) - A strong earthquake registering a preliminary magnitude of 5.6 shook eastern Japan early Friday, injuring three people but there was no danger of tsunami, the Meteorological Agency and police said.
The 02:50 a.m. local time quake occurred 10 kilometres below the ocean floor, just off the east coast of Izu Peninsula, about 90 kilometres southeast of Tokyo, the agency said. In Ito City in Shizuoka prefecture, one of the most strongly shaken cities, a 64-year-old woman suffered minor bruises on her head when a wardrobe fell on her, local police spokesman Mitsuo Sugibayashi said.
In nearby Kanagawa prefecture, two women aged 67 and 52 also suffered minor injuries, police said, providing no other details. The agency said there was no threat of a tsunami - potentially dangerous waves triggered by seismic activity. The quake, felt most strongly in Izu Oshima, moderately shook buildings in the Tokyo region but didn't cause any damage.
Japan, which rests atop several tectonic plates, is among the world's most earthquake-prone countries. A magnitude five quake can damage houses and buildings in densely populated areas.
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