No tsunami threat to Malaysia after Russia quake

 

This image courtesy of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) Tsunami Warning System shows tsunami warnings (red), advisories (orange) watches (yellow) and threats (purple) after an 8.7 earthquake hit off of Russia's far east on Wednesday.AFP PIC

KUALA LUMPUR: The Malaysian Meteorological Department (MetMalaysia) has confirmed that there is no tsunami threat to Malaysia following a strong earthquake off Russia's Far East this morning.

According to information issued at 8.36am, the earthquake, recorded as a magnitude 6.4 by the agency, struck at 8:16am.

The agency stated that this would be the final update on the incident unless further developments arise.

Earlier today, it was reported that a magnitude 8.8 earthquake struck off Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula, generating a tsunami of up to 4 metres (13 feet), damaging buildings and prompting warnings and evacuations across the Pacific Ocean.

Several people were injured in the remote Russian region, while much of Japan's eastern seaboard — devastated by a powerful earthquake and tsunami in 2011 — was ordered to evacuate.

A tsunami with a height of 3 to 4 metres (10 to 13 feet) was recorded in parts of Kamchatka following the earthquake, according to Sergei Lebedev, the regional minister for emergency situations, who urged people to move away from the shoreline. - NST