Russia Hit by Dual Disasters: Volcano Eruption and M7.0 Earthquake

• A volcano erupted on Russia's east coast, coating nearby villages in ash.
• Hours later, a magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck near Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, triggering a tsunami warning.
• The two events are believed to be unrelated, according to the Alaska Volcano Observatory.

Moscow — Russia was struck by a one-two punch of natural disasters over the weekend. On Saturday, the Shiveluch volcano (https://volcano.si.edu/volcano.cfm?vn=300270) on Russia's eastern side erupted, shooting a plume of ash 32,800 feet into the air (USGS). The eruption coated the nearby village of Ust-Kamchatsk in ash, according to Russian state media (Zvezda).

Ust-Kamchatsk, a village located on the eastern shore of the Kamchatka Peninsula, was coated in a layer of ash...from the volcanic eruption.
— Russian state-run media, Zvezda

International flights and low-flying aircraft may be impacted by the ash emission, which also prompted a hazard warning.

Later that day, at 7:10 p.m. UTC, a powerful magnitude 7.0 earthquake (USGS) struck near Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, a city 280 miles from the volcano. The quake triggered a tsunami warning, but it was quickly lifted. No major damage has been reported, but buildings are being inspected (CNN).

The Alaska Volcano Observatory stated that the volcano eruption began about eight hours before the earthquake, and the two events are believed to be unrelated.

*Julia Gomez is a USA TODAY journalist. Connect with her on LinkedIn, X (Twitter), Instagram, and TikTok: @juliamariegz.