Powerful earthquake hits off far east coast of Russia, though no early reports of damage

PETROPAVOVSK-KAMCHATSKY, Russia (AP) — A powerful magnitude-7.0 earthquake has struck in the Pacific off the far eastern coast of Russia near a major naval base, but there are no early reports of damage or injuries. The quake early Sunday prompted a tsunami warning that was later lifted. The U.S. Geological Survey says the earthquake occurred 18 miles below the surface and its epictern was about 63 miles east of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky. That port city of more than 181,000 people is surrounded by volcanoes and sits across a bay from an important Russian submarine base. The U.S. National Weather Service’s Pacific Tsunami Warning Center in Honolulu initially warned that hazardous tsunami waves were possible for coasts within 300 miles of the earthquake epicenter, but later announced the threat had ended.