A strong quake with a magnitude of 7 struck Tuesday near Russia's Kuril Islands in North Pacific, the US Geological Survey (USGS) reported.

The quake hit 295 kilometers east northeast of the town of Kurilsk at 0423 GMT, with its focus at a depth of 39.1 kilometers, the USGS said on its website.

(Xinhua News Agency April 7, 2009)