5.9-magnitude quake hits Russian Far East islands

An earthquake measuring 5.9 on the Richter scale hit the Kamchatka Strait in the Komandorskie Islands region in Russia's Far East on Wednesday, the RIA Novosti news agency reported. The quake occurred at 12:23 p.m. local time (0123 GMT) with its epicenter located 200 km northwest of the Bering Island at a depth of 55.8 km under the seabed. Residents of the only population center of the Komandorskie Islands, the Nikolskoye village, felt tremors measuring 3 to 4 on the Richter scale. So far, there were no reports of damage or casualties. No tsunami warning had been issued.