YUZHNO-SAKHALINSK (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 24th February, 2020) SAKHALINSK, February 24 (Sputnik) - A 5.6-magnitude earthquake has occurred off the Kuril Islands, a representative of the Sakhalin regional branch of the Geophysical Survey of the Russian academy of Sciences (GS RAS) told Sputnik.
"An earthquake with a magnitude of 5.6 was registered on Sunday at 23:57 [12:57 GMT]," head of the Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk seismic station Elena Semyonova said.
The earthquake occurred near the island of Iturup, with its epicenter located about 46 kilometers (29 miles) east of the town of Kurilsk.
There were no immediate reports of damages.
According to the Richter scale, earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.0-5.9 are considered to be moderate and can lead to casualties and cause damage to buildings and infrastructure.
The Kuril Islands separate the Sea of Okhotsk from the North Pacific Ocean. The islands are located in a seismically active zone known as the Ring of Fire and are regularly affected by powerful earthquakes.
