Earthquakes hit east Russian town

At least two people have been killed in a series of earthquakes on the eastern Russian island of Sakhalin, just north of Japan.

The first quake, measuring 6.4, struck the southern tip of Sakhalin island at about midday on Thursday.

At least two people were killed by collapsing buildings. Small tsunami waves, 30cm (12 inches) high, were later reported in northern Japan.

A second quake with a magnitude of 5.9 hit Sakhalin later in the afternoon.

No injuries were reported after the second quake.

Nor have there been any reports of damage or injuries from the tsunami in northern Japan.

Russian emergency officials said two people were killed in the town of Nevelsk, on Sakhalin. Another two were reportedly hurt.

"Cracks appeared in buildings and furniture fell over inside apartments, but there is no damage to other towns, only to Nevelsk," a local emergency official told Reuters news agency.

"Energy supplies have also been disrupted," the official said.

Japan and the eastern-most parts of Russia lie along the so-called Pacific Ring of Fire - a region of heavy seismic activity, which sees relatively frequent earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.

The quake, with a preliminary magnitude of 6.4, struck at 0238 GMT on the southern tip of Sakhalin, just north of Japan, according to Japan's Meteorological Agency.