Minor Quake Rattles Russian Island

There were no reports of injuries or property damage on the island, located about 4,000 miles east of Moscow. The epicenter of the quake, which occurred Thursday afternoon, was near the town of Uglegorsk in central Sakhalin, the ministry said.

Earthquakes periodically shake Sakhalin, which is located near the ``Ring of Fire,'' one of the world's most seismically volatile regions. A 7.5-magnitude quake destroyed the Sakhalin town of Neftegorsk in 1995, killing 2,000 people.