The Immigration Department is maintaining close liaison with the Commissioner's Office of China's Foreign Ministry in Hong Kong and the Consulate-General of China in Sapporo following a severe earthquake near Sapporo.

Hong Kong Observatory recorded an earthquake with a magnitude of 7.7 on the Richter Scale at about 12.30pm today. The epicentre was near Kuril Islands in Russia, about 1,090km east-northeast of Sapporo in Japan.

The Immigration Department is monitoring the situation and will offer assistance to Hong Kong people there when necessary. As at 6pm today, the department's Assistance to HK Residents Unit's hotline 1868 has not received calls relating to the earthquake.