July quake appears to have damaged Russian nuclear sub base: Report

A very powerful magnitude 8.8 earthquake off Russia's Far Eastern Kamchatka coast on Wednesday triggered tsunami warnings as far away as French Polynesia and Chile, and was followed by an eruption of the most active volcano on the peninsula. (File photo)

A nuclear submarine base in Russia's remote Far East region was damaged last week following one of the most powerful earthquakes to hit the area in decades, the New York Times reported on Monday, citing satellite images.

Photos captured by Planet Labs, a commercial satellite imaging firm, show damage to a floating pier at the Rybachiy submarine base on the Kamchatka Peninsula, the newspaper reported.

One section of the pier appears to have broken away from its anchor point. Aside from the damaged pier, the satellite imagery does not show any other major destruction.

Reuters could not independently verify the report. There was no immediate response from Russia's defence ministry outside business hours to a Reuters request for comment.

A very powerful magnitude 8.8 earthquake off Russia's Far Eastern Kamchatka coast on Wednesday triggered tsunami warnings as far away as French Polynesia and Chile, and was followed by an eruption of the most active volcano on the peninsula.

The Rybachiy nuclear submarine base, a strategic hub for Russia's Pacific Fleet, serves as a facility for the maintenance, deployment, and operations of the country's nuclear-powered submarines in the Pacific region.