PETROPAVOVSK-KAMCHATSKY, Russia — A strong earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 7.0 struck in the Pacific Ocean off Russia’s far east coast near a major naval base early Sunday, but there were no early reports of damage or casualties.
The quake led to a tsunami warning that was later lifted.
The earthquake struck 18 miles (29 kilometers) below the surface and its epicenter was about 63 miles (102 kilometers) east of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, the US Geological Survey said.
Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky is a port city of more than 181,000 people surrounded by volcanoes and located across a bay from a key Russian submarine base.
The US National Weather Service’s Pacific Tsunami Warning Center in Honolulu initially warned that dangerous tsunami waves were possible for coasts within 300 miles (480 kilometers) of the earthquake’s epicenter, but later announced that the threat had ended.
The center said minor sea level fluctuations could occur in some coastal areas near the earthquake site for several hours.