On Wednesday, a massive 8.8 magnitude earthquake struck off the Kamchatka Peninsula in Russia’s Far East, generating tsunami waves up to 5 meters (16 feet) and prompting evacuation orders in Hawaii and across the Pacific.
The shallow quake caused structural damage and left several people injured in the remote region. Meanwhile, evacuation alerts were issued along much of eastern Japan, a region still haunted by the catastrophic 2011 earthquake and tsunami.
A resident of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky described the intense quake that shook the city for several minutes.
“I decided to evacuate,” said 25-year-old Yaroslav. “It felt like the entire building might come down — the tremors went on for at least three minutes without stopping.”
Tsunami waves reached parts of Kamchatka, causing partial flooding at a port and a fish processing facility in Severo-Kurilsk, according to regional authorities and the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations. Several boats were dislodged and swept away from their docks.
“This was the most serious earthquake we’ve had in decades,” said Kamchatka Governor Vladimir Solodov in a video message on Telegram.
Russian seismologists confirmed it was the strongest earthquake to hit the region since 1952.
In Hawaii, coastal communities were urged to seek higher ground or move to the fourth floor or above of buildings as tsunami waves approached. The U.S. Coast Guard also instructed vessels to leave harbors as a precaution.
“Take action! Destructive tsunami waves expected,” the Honolulu Department of Emergency Management warned in a post on X (formerly Twitter).
By 07:30 GMT, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center reported that waves measuring up to 1.7 meters (5.5 feet) had begun to impact the Hawaiian Islands. Although Governor Josh Green initially stated that no significant waves had struck the state, all flights to and from Maui were canceled as a safety measure.
Tsunami Alerts Issued Across the Pacific
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) noted that the quake had a shallow depth of 19.3 kilometers (12 miles) and was centered 119 kilometers (74 miles) east-southeast of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, a city of 165,000 people.
The USGS initially measured the quake at magnitude 8.0, but later revised it to 8.8, and recorded several strong aftershocks, the largest reaching magnitude 6.9.
