Two earthquakes with a magnitude above 6 on the Richter scale shook the southern part of the Sakhalin island in the Far East, killing two people and causing a small tsunami on the Japanese island of Hokkaido.

Falling buildings killed two people, while the extent of property damage was not immediately known, ITAR-TASS reported.

The tremors also caused a 20-centimetre tsunami wave on the western coast of Hokkaido Island, in northern Japan, which caused no damage.

Authorities warned more waves, up to 50 centimetres, were expected.

The first quake hit in the Tatar straits, which separates Sakhalin from the continental mainland, shortly after 1.30 pm local time (2.30 am GMT), according to the data of the US Geological Survey.

It had a magnitude of 6,2 and its epicentre was a depth of 5 kilometres in the some 85 kilometres west of Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk.

It was followed by four more tremors in the following hours, one of them with a magnitude of 6,1, whose epicentre at a depth of 21,5 kilometres was located 80 kilometres southwest of Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, and the others in the 4,6-4,9 range.

The island is part of the Pacific "Ring of Fire", a hotbed of volcanic and earthquake activity.

The northern rim of the ring has been very active overnight, with four serious tremors shaking the Andreanoff and Aleutian island ranges in the US state of Alaska, including one with a magnitude of 6,5 on the Richter scale.

We need your support so Novinite.com can keep delivering news and information about Bulgaria! Thank you!