Russia’s Shiveluch volcano has erupted following a 7.0 magnitude earthquake that struck off the eastern coast of the country, according to state-run media outlet TASS.
“According to visual evaluations, the ash column is rising as high as eight kilometres (five miles) above the sea level,” TASS reported Sunday morning local time, adding the volcano had released a gush of lava.
There are no reports of people injured, TASS said.
The Shiveluch volcano is around 280 miles from Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, a coastal city with a population of about 181,000 that lies in Russia’s eastern region of Kamchatka.
According to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), the quake’s epicenter was about 55 miles from Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky and had a depth of about 30 miles.
No “major damage” was caused by the quake, TASS reported, however, “buildings are now being examined for potential damage, with special attention paid to social facilities.”
The Russian Emergencies Ministry did not issue a tsunami warning due to the tremor, TASS reported.
Earlier, the U.S. Tsunami Warning System had warned that “hazardous tsunami waves from this earthquake are possible within 300 km of the epicentre along the coasts of Russia.”
This is a developing story and will be updated.
