Strong earthquake in Kyrgyzstan

An earthquake measuring eight on the Richter scale shook northern Kyrgyzstan on Monday morning, a person on duty in the Kyrgyz environment and emergencies ministry reported.

According to the seismology institute, the epicentre of the earthquake was 190 km north-east of the regional centre of Karakol.

At present rescuers are finding out more details about the situation in the north of the republic. No information about the victims or damage has been received so far. The situation is complicated by the fact that the epicentre was situated in a mountainous area hard for access.

Bishkek residents were woken up by an underground tremor at about 7 am local time. Tremors in the city were 3-4 on the Richter scale. According to the preliminary data, there are no victims or damage.