Southern Kurils hit by earthquake, fuel shortages

YUZHNO-SAKHALINSK, January 27 (RIA Novosti, Pyotr Tsyrendorzhiyev) - Russian seismologists have reported that a Russian island near Japan was hit by an earthquake early Friday.

According to seismologists, the quake, which measured 3.9 on the Richter Scale, occurred at 02:06 Moscow time (11:06pm GMT) about 40 miles from the city of Yuzhno-Kurilsk, the administrative center of Kunashir Island in the southern part of the Kuril archipelago. No casualties or damage were reported.

Meanwhile, Yuzhno-Kurilsk faces fuel shortages, as the local power station only has enough fuel for the coming week, news that prompted a surprised outburst from Ivan Malakhov, governor of the far-eastern Sakhalin Region, which incorporates the island.

"I was told prior to January 1, 2006 that all the Kurils regions had enough fuel until the end of February," he said. "How have the South Kurils managed to use a two-month supply of fuel in January?"

First Deputy Governor Sergei Sheredekin said a tanker carrying fuel for the power station was preparing to unload at the Yuzhno-Kurilsk port.