ISTANBUL

A magnitude 7.2 earthquake struck off the east coast of Russia’s far eastern Kamchatka region on Sunday.

The regional branch of the Unified Geophysical Service of the Russian Academy of Sciences said on Telegram that the Pacific Ocean quake had a depth of 5 kilometers (3.1 miles).

It said the epicenter of the earthquake was 161 km (100 min) from Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, the region’s administrative center.

The earthquake followed two earlier tremors of magnitude 5.5 and 6.7, respectively, and was later followed by two more with 6.7 and 6.3 magnitude.

"After the strong earthquakes, 26 aftershocks occurred, the strength of the tremors is declining," a representative of the Unified Geophysical Service's branch later told Russian state news agency RIA.

A tsunami threat was declared for multiple districts in the region after the series of quakes, according to the Russian Emergency Situations Ministry, which later declared that the tsunami threat in the region passed, citing the regional tsunami monitoring and warning center.

"There are no casualties or injuries ... No evacuation of the population was required," it went on to say.

Previously, the ministry said tsunami waves up to 60 centimeters (23.6 inches) were expected to hit the region, including Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, recommending that residents of coastal settlements move either inland or to elevated areas.