Dam destroyed near Klyuchevskoy volcano in Russia

Vladivostok, Aug 6 (Xinhua) A dam has been destroyed near the Klyuchevskoy Volcano on the Kamchatka Peninsula in Russia's Far East, raising concerns over potential mudflows and transportation disruptions in the region, local authorities said on Wednesday.

Fieldwork conducted from July 30 to August 2, 2025, near the Studenaya River revealed that the dam -- constructed in 2023 to separate the river's right and left channels -- has collapsed, allowing water to flow freely through both channels, the Institute of Volcanology and Seismology of the Far Eastern Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences said in its Telegram channel.

Scientists attribute the damage to increased volcanic activity triggered by a powerful earthquake that struck the region on July 30, Xinhua news agency reported.

Lava from Klyuchevskoy volcano is currently descending toward the Bogdanovich Glacier, causing accelerated ice melt. The resulting surge of meltwater cascades down the slopes, generating large-scale mud and debris flows.

Experts warn that if these flows continue to intensify, they will cause a direct threat to tourists in the Tolbachinsky Valley.

Another powerful earthquake of magnitude 6.7 struck Russia's Kuril Islands earlier in the day on August 3, according to the German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ). The agency initially estimated the quake at 6.35 magnitude with a shallow depth of 10 kilometres (6.2 miles), but later revised its findings.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center measured the earthquake at magnitude 7.0 and confirmed that no tsunami warning had been issued in the aftermath of the quake.

The initial earthquake was followed by aftershocks with a magnitude of 6.8in Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula in the Pacific Ocean, the regional branch of the Ministry of Emergency Situations announced on social media.

The quake, which occurred at 17:37 local time (0537 GMT), was 277 km from Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, the regional capital, at a depth of 26 km.

According to the Kamchatka Tsunami Warning and Monitoring Center, tsunami waves generated by the quake are not expected to exceed 19 cm.

Despite the limited wave height, local emergency authorities have urged residents to stay away from the coastline as a precaution.

The ministry also advised vessels in coastal waters, including those anchored in open roadsteads or bays with wide entrances, to head out to sea beyond the 50-meter isobath and to sail perpendicular to the coastline.

--IANS

int/bpd/rs