Tsunami hits Russia, Japan following massive 8.8 magnitude quake in Pacific

Tsunami waves up to 4 metres hit parts of the Pacific after a major quake off Russia's coast; Japan also recorded smaller waves as authorities urged evacuations and issued widespread alerts

A powerful 8.8-magnitude earthquake struck off Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula on Wednesday, triggering a large tsunami and prompting evacuations along the coast. The quake, which struck at a depth of around 19 kilometres, was centred approximately 125 kilometres east-southeast of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky. 

Tsunami waves reached heights of up to 4 metres and caused damage in several areas across the Pacific Ocean, Reuters reported. Authorities in eastern Russia had earlier urged residents to stay away from the coast following the tsunami alert.

 

The Japan Meteorological Agency said the first tsunami wave, measuring about 30 centimetres, reached Nemuro on the eastern coast of Hokkaido, reported news agency Associated Press. 

 

Epicentre near Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, quake shallow

 

According to the US Geological Survey (USGS), the earthquake was shallow, occurring at a depth of 19.3 kilometres (12 miles). The epicentre was located about 125 km east-southeast of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, a coastal city of 165,000 people on Avacha Bay.  

“Today’s earthquake was serious and the strongest in decades of tremors,” Kamchatka Governor Vladimir Solodov said in a video posted on Telegram, reported Reuters. Preliminary information indicated no injuries, though a kindergarten sustained damage.

 

 

Tsunami alerts issued across Russia, Japan, and the US

 

Following the powerful earthquake, tsunami alerts were issued across multiple countries in the Pacific region. In Russia, Sakhalin Governor Valery Limarenko ordered the evacuation of the small town of Severo-Kurilsk, located south of the Kamchatka Peninsula, citing the tsunami threat. Russia’s Ministry for Emergency Services said a wave of up to 32 centimetres could reach parts of the Kamchatka coastline, reported Reuters.

 

In the US, the US Tsunami Warning Centre issued tsunami warnings for Alaska’s Aleutian Islands and the state of Hawaii. A tsunami watch was placed for the US West Coast, covering California, Oregon and Washington, as well as the US territory of Guam. The Hawaii Emergency Management Agency has activated its Emergency Operations Centre in response, ABC News reported. A tsunami watch was extended to the US territory of Guam and other islands in Micronesia as officials monitored the developing situation.

 

Japan issues advisory from Hokkaido to Kyushu

 

Japan’s Meteorological Agency issued a tsunami advisory for broad swathes of the country’s Pacific coastline, from Hokkaido in the north to Kyushu in the south. It warned that waves of up to 1 metre could hit Hokkaido around 10:00 am (local time), with other regions such as eastern Honshu and southern Kyushu expected to be affected later in the day.

 

Japanese broadcaster NHK reported that the epicentre of the quake was about 250 kilometres from Hokkaido, where the tremor was only mildly felt and no damage has been reported so far, reported news agency Associated Press.

 

Region prone to major seismic activity

 

The Kamchatka Peninsula and Russia’s Far East lie on the Pacific Ring of Fire, a highly active seismic zone known for frequent earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.