Russia: 5.6 magnitude earthquake hits Kamchatka peninsula

A magnitude 5.6 earthquake on Wednesday hit near the coast of the Kamchatka peninsula, Russia's easternmost region.

This is already the second quake to hit near Kamchatka over the past 24 hours. Another one with 5.5 magnitudes occurred earlier on Tuesday.

According to the ministry's data, the new quake occurred at a 25-mile-deep epicentre some 80 miles east to the city of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky with a population of 181,000.

"Kamchatka is at no tsunami risk following the earthquake that occurred on January 1. The seismic event was felt in the Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky and Vilyuchinsky urban districts as magnitude 2-3," the ministry said.

Search brigades and firemen are currently checking on socially significant buildings in the affected areas, the statement read.

There is no reported information on casualties at this point.