A powerful earthquake has struck near the east coast of Russia’s Kamchatka region, the U.S. Geological Survey said.

There were no immediate reports of damage.

Local authorities said the earthquake had a magnitue of 7.2 but the U.S. Geological Survey put it at 7.8.

The quake’s epicenter was 127 kilometers (79 miles) east of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky and it struck at 6:58 a.m. Friday local time, according to the USGS.

It had a depth of 19.5 kms.

Russia's Emergency Ministry meanwhile said the epicentre of the quake was located in the waters of the Pacific Ocean 140 kilometres northeast of Kamchatka at depths of 123 kilometres.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning System briefly issued a tsunami threat but later lifted it.

The initial quake was followed by a series of aftershocks of up to magnitude 5.8.

The remote Kamchatka region has been hit by a series of powerful earthquakes over the past two months, including ones of magnitude 8.8, and two of magnitude 7.4.