Strong Earthquake Shakes Russia-Mongolia Border Region

A powerful 6.8-magnitude earthquake has struck the Russia-Mongolia border region.

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) said the quake's epicenter early on January 12 was under Lake Khovsgol, the largest freshwater lake in Mongolia, near the border with Russia.

The epicenter was about 200 kilometers west of the Russian city of Irkutsk near the southern tip of Lake Baikal.

The tremor struck at a shallow depth of 10 kilometers.

There were no immediate reports of damage or victims in the sparsely populated area.

The USGS said there was a low likelihood of casualties and damage because the population of the region resides in structures that are largely resistant to earthquakes.