A magnitude 4.5 earthquake shook Siberia’s Kemerovo region overnight Thursday, according to Russia’s seismic monitoring center.
The quake struck around midnight local time, with the intensity at the epicenter measured at 5.8. Videos shared on social media showed damage to apartments, with tiles falling from walls and sections of ceilings collapsing.
Despite the damage, the regional branch of Russia’s Emergency Situations Ministry confirmed that no casualties or injuries were reported. Authorities are currently inspecting buildings impacted by the tremor.
Kemerovo, also known as Kuzbass, is a key coal-mining region, where extensive mining activity can sometimes trigger induced seismicity — earthquakes caused by human activity. Around 160 miners working at the Sheregesh mine were safely evacuated following the earthquake, authorities said.
Last month, a magnitude 7.0 earthquake hit off the coast of Russia’s Far East Kamchatka Peninsula, an area prone to seismic activity due to its location on the Pacific Ring of Fire.
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