MOSCOW

A magnitude 8.4 earthquake hit the Lake Baikal area near Russia's Irkutsk city, the administrative center of Irkutsk Oblast, the Emergency Ministry said on Wednesday.

The magnitude of the quake at the epicenter was 8.4, while in Irkutsk it felt much weaker and was recorded at 5 on the Richter scale.

Lake Baikal is an ancient and massive lake in the mountainous Russian region of Siberia, north of the Mongolian border.

Rescue services began a search operation for possible destruction or casualties.