MOSCOW, June 24 (Xinhua) -- Three earthquakes jolted Russia's far eastern region of Yakutia on Monday, causing no casualties or destruction, the Itar-Tass news agency reported Tuesday.

    The first quake measuring 5.9 on the Richter scale occurred at around 18:00, Moscow time (1500 GMT) and the following quakes in the same area were weaker, Itar-Tass cited the Far Eastern regional center of the Ministry of Emergency Situations.

    "The earthquakes were not felt in the republic' s settlements. There have been no casualties or destruction," the ministry's Far Eastern center reported.

    There's a small population in Russia's vast far east and the epicenters were reportedly some 150 to 160 km away from the settlements.