Japan Agency Issues Erroneous 9.9 Quake Warning After Russia Tremor

On October 16 a magnitude 6.9 to 7.0 earthquake struck Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula. In Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky residents left homes for public spaces as lamps swayed, doors banged and closed, and household items shook inside residential blocks. Japan’s Meteorological Agency mistakenly issued a warning estimating magnitude 9.9 and forecasting strong shaking across northern, eastern and central Japan, then withdrew it within minutes after further analysis. The U.S. National Tsunami Warning Center reported no tsunami threat. Initial reports gave no confirmed casualties or significant damage. What's contested: EMSC reported magnitude 7.0, later revised to 6.9; CSR Journal cited BNO News putting the actual magnitude around 6.9. Depth was reported as 135 km by Thailand’s Geohazards Operation Center, 138 km by the Russian Academy of Sciences regional branch, and around 140 km in EMSC-linked accounts. Epicentre locations differed: about 123 km southwest of Vilyuchinsk (EMSC, CSR Journal, IND Today), about 76 km north-east of Ozernovskiy (Thai Geohazards Operation Center), and 156 km southwest of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky (Russian Academy of Sciences). Nation Thailand said tremors were detected in Hakodate. Local impact details beyond the initial accounts remained limited.