A 7.4-magnitude quake struck off the
© USGSA 7.4-magnitude quake struck off the coast of Kamchatka in Russia's far east.
A 7.4-magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of Kamchatka in Russia's far east on Saturday, the United States Geological Survey (USGS) says.

The quake hit 111km east of the Russian city of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, the administrative centre of the Kamchatka region, at a depth of 39.5km, according to the USGS.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre initially said "hazardous" waves were possible along Russian coasts within 300km of the epicentre.

However, the centre has now issued a new update saying the tsunami warning has been cancelled.

USGS earlier gave a magnitude of 7.5 before downgrading it.


A National Emergency Management Agency (Nema) spokesperson told NZME there was no tsunami threat to New Zealand.

Region's second huge quake in six weeks

In July, one of the strongest earthquakes ever recorded struck off the Kamchatka peninsula, triggering tsunamis up to 4m high across the Pacific and sparking evacuations from Hawaii to Japan.

The magnitude 8.8 quake was the largest since 2011, when a magnitude 9.1 tremor off Japan caused a tsunami that killed more than 15,000 people.

July's quake prompted authorities in Japan to order almost two million people to head to higher ground.

Tsunami warnings were also issued across the region, before being rescinded or downgraded.

Buildings were damaged in the July 30 quake and several people were injured in Russia's Kamchatka region.

A volcano on the Kamchatka Peninsula erupted days after the earthquake for the first time in hundreds of years, sending ash 6km into the sky.

(AFP)