US reports powerful quake near Russia's east coast

WASHINGTON, Sept 19 (KUNA) -- A powerful 7.8 magnitude earthquake has struck near the east coast of Russiaآ’s Kamchatka region, the U.S. Geological Survey said.
There were no immediate reports of damage.
The quakeآ’s epicenter was 127 kilometers (79 miles) east of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky and it struck at 6:58 a.m. Friday local time, according to the USGS. It had a depth of 19.5 kms.
The Pacific Tsunami Warning System briefly issued a tsunami warning but later lifted it.
The initial quake was followed by a series of aftershocks of up to magnitude 5.8.
The remote Kamchatka region has been hit by a series of powerful earthquakes, including quakes of magnitude-7.4 last week and another one in July. (end) rk