Friday, April 21 2006 14:16 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Moscow: A major earthquake hit a remote, sparsely populated region of Russia's Far East early today (Apr 21, 2006), causing unknown damage and at least minor injuries, emergency officials said.

The US Geological Survey and Japan's Meteorological Agency estimated the temblor to be about 7.7 magnitude.

The quake hit at around 12.30 pm today (0500 IST) in the Koryak region, nearly 7000 kilometers east of Moscow, said Oleg Kotosanov, a duty officer with the regional emergencysituations ministry.

A second quake, with a magnitude of 6.1, was registered five hours later, the US Geological Survey said.

Kotosanov told sources by telephone after the first quake that there were reports of damage in some villages of the Pacific region, and that emergency officials were flying by helicopter to several locations.

An official of the Koryak regional emergency situations ministry, Viktor Styopkin, said that there was no telephone communication with the affected region and that reconnaissance helicopters would reach the village of Tilichiki, apparently the hardest hit site, only at about 6.30 pm local time.

Some 12,000 people live in the area affected by the quake, the Emergency Situations Ministry said, and 2,028 people live in the coastal village.

Styopkin said that minor injuries such as bruises and abrasions had been reported, and that there was one unconfirmed report that someone had broken a limb. The RIA- Novosti news agency, citing an unnamed local emergencies official, said four people had been injured.

The quake also made the village's airfield unusable, he said one-third of the runway was filled with cracks, and the rest was under water.