A 7.0-magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula, prompting the eruption of Shiveluch, a highly active volcano in the region. The eruption released ash plumes that soared to an altitude of 5 kilometers, leading the Kamchatka Volcanic Eruption Response Team to issue a temporary "code red" warning for air traffic. According to the Russian Academy of Sciences, the Shiveluch volcano erupted shortly after the earthquake struck early Sunday, spewing a massive ash cloud that stretched over 490 kilometers (304 miles) in an easterly and southeasterly direction from the volcano, as captured in footage released by the Institute of Volcanology and Seismology, as reported by AP. Additionally, the Ebeko volcano on the Kuril Islands also released ash up to 2.5 kilometers (1.5 miles) high, though the connection between the earthquake and the eruptions was not explicitly confirmed by the institute. Russian emergency officials stated that the earthquake, with a depth of 6 kilometers (3.7 miles) beneath the ocean floor, had its epicenter approximately 108 kilometers (67 miles) southeast of the closest city. Fortunately, no injuries were reported, and despite the issuance of a 'code red' alert, TASS news agency reported that no commercial flights were affected, and aviation infrastructure remained intact, according to AP. Scientists from the Russian Academy of Sciences cautioned that the tremors could be a precursor to an even stronger earthquake in southeastern Kamchatka, potentially within the next 24 hours, with a magnitude approaching 9.0. Residents in the port city of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, which sits near a significant Russian submarine base, described experiencing some of the most intense shaking in years. This event brings to mind the devastating 9.0 magnitude earthquake in Kamchatka on November 4, 1952, which caused significant damage but no fatalities, despite triggering 9.1-meter (30-foot) waves in Hawaii.
