A 5.3-magnitude earthquake has taken place in an area near the world's oldest lake in southern Siberia, the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre reported.
According to the report, the tremor was recorded at 18:04 GMT, with the epicentre of the earthquake located 87 kilometres (54 miles) southwest of the city of Irkutsk at a depth of 2 kilometres (1 mile). There are no reports of any damages or victims due to the earthquake so far.
Felt #earthquake (#землетрясение) M5.3 strikes 87 km SW of #Irkutsk (Russian Federation) 21 min ago. Please report to: https://t.co/RisfHDEscd pic.twitter.com/b6vjL9Cepb
— EMSC (@LastQuake) September 21, 2020
In the meantime, conflicting reports suggest the quake was 5.5 in magnitude. The USGS recorded the tremors 22.5 kilometres (14 miles) south of Kultuk, Irkutsk Oblast at a depth of 10 kilometres (6 miles).
The Russian Emergency Service says the tremors were 5.9 in magnitude, with the epicentre located 15 kilometres from the city of Kultuk. Residents of the city have had to evacuate from their houses and the electricity has been shut off, according to reports. However, there are no victims or injured people, the reports say.
Baikal is the world's oldest lake, with its age estimated at 25 million years.
