Largest Quake Measured 7.4 Magnitude; No Casualties or Damage Reported, Say Officials
July 20, 2025: A series of powerful earthquakes struck off the coast of Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula on Sunday, with the largest measuring 7.4 in magnitude, according to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). The tremors initially triggered a tsunami warning, which has since been lifted.
The strongest quake occurred at a depth of 20 km, approximately 144 km east of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky — a city of around 180,000 residents. Several smaller but significant aftershocks were recorded in the same region before and after the main quake.
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre (PTWC) initially warned of the potential for major tsunami waves but later downgraded its alert before confirming that the danger had passed.
Russia’s Emergencies Ministry had also issued a local tsunami warning, advising coastal communities to avoid the shoreline.
Nevertheless, authorities said there are currently no evacuation plans and that no casualties or damage have been reported.
Seismic activity has already occurred in this area. Even though a 9.0 magnitude earthquake in Kamchatka on November 4, 1952, caused waves as high as 9.1 meters in Hawaii, no one was killed in Russia.