Powerful earthquake strikes Georgia, shocks reported in S.Ossetia
10:35, 8 September 2009
TBILISI. September 8. KAZINFORM A powerful earthquake measuring 8 on the Richter scale struck Georgia's Racha-Lechkhumi Region to the northwest of the capital Tbilisi, a local meteorology center official said Tuesday, Kazinform refers to RIA Novosti.
The official said the magnitude of shocks in Tbilisi was 4.0. No victims were reported.
Earlier the U.S. Geological Survey said the quake measured 6.2 and that its epicenter was 156 kilometers (97 miles) northwest of Tbilisi and 80 km (50 miles) northeast of Kutaisi.
The Emergencies Ministry of the former Georgian republic of South Ossetia also reported an earthquake of about 5.5 in magnitude, saying the capital Tskhinvali was blacked out for a while as a result, Kazinform cites RIA Novosti. See www.en.rian.ru .