Powerful earthquake rocks north-eastern Russia

A MASSIVE earthquake measuring 7.9 on the Richter scale, followed by a huge aftershock, has rocked Russia’s remote north-eastern Kamchatka peninsula but caused only light injuries.

The quake struck late on Thursday night and was followed five hours later by a tremor measuring 6.2 on the Richter scale, the Kamchatka seismological service said.

Thousands of people in the sparsely populated Koryakiya district of Kamchatka were affected but only four required medical attention with about 50 more believed to have suffered scratches and other minor injuries, the emergency situations ministry said.