Earthquake rattles Eastern Russia, northern Japan

Moscow, Aug 18. (AP): A strong earthquake rocked the Russian Pacific island of Sakhalin early today, sending some residents rushing into the streets and damaging some buildings, officials said. The temblor, which hit at around 2050 IST (2:20 am local time), also caused tremors in parts of Japan's northern Hokkaido prefecture, Japan's Meteorological Agency reported. The agency rated it at magnitude 6.0, but said there were no fears of a tsunami- huge waves caused by undersea disturbances or volcanic activities. The US Geological Survey put the quake at 5.5 magnitude. Centered on the southern tip of Sakhalin Island, about 10,500 kilometres east of Moscow, the quake sent residents in towns in some of the island' southern regions scrambling into the streets. Russia's Vesti TV reported that one person was injured by falling furniture and aftershocks continued for several hours. "I grabbed my child and rushed out into the streets with only what I was wearing," one unidentified woman said in televised comments. Television footage showed collapsed and damaged house roofs and cracked pavement. Another quake, estimated by the USGS at 6.2 magnitude, hit the Kamchatka peninsula, 1,930 kilometers northeast of Sakhalin, just after midnight. ITAR-Tass, citing local officials, reported no major damage. Much of Russia's Pacific coast sits along a major tectonic plate and is frequently hit by earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/003200608182011.htm