Extremely strong 8.7 magnitude earthquake in Russia causes tsunami, Japan and Hawaii (USA) order emergency evacuation
A magnitude 8.7 earthquake struck off the Kamchatka Peninsula in Russia's Far East on July 30, generating a tsunami as high as 4 meters, damaging buildings and prompting local authorities as well as other countries such as Japan and the US state of Hawaii to issue warnings and evacuation orders.
"Today's earthquake was very serious and the strongest in decades," Kamchatka Governor Vladimir Solodov said in a video posted on Telegram, adding that a kindergarten was damaged.
Regional Emergency Situations Minister Sergei Lebedev said a tsunami of 3-4 meters high was recorded in some areas of Kamchatka, and urged people to move away from the coastline.
The US Geological Survey (USGS) said the quake struck in shallow water, at a depth of 19.3 km and had its epicenter 126 km east-southeast of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky. Initially, the magnitude was determined to be 8.0 before being revised up to 8.7.
The Japan Meteorological Agency upgraded its warning, saying it expected tsunami waves of up to 3 meters (10 feet) to hit large coastal areas starting at around 1 a.m. GMT. The government issued evacuation orders for some areas, NHK said. Footage from TBS showed factory workers and residents in northern Hokkaido evacuating to a hill overlooking the sea.
The US Tsunami Warning System has also issued a warning of "hazardous tsunami waves" within the next three hours along some coasts of Russia, Japan, Alaska and Hawaii. A tsunami watch is also in effect for the US territory of Guam and other islands in Micronesia.
The state of Hawaii has ordered evacuations from some coastal areas. "Take action! Destructive tsunami waves are forecast," the Honolulu Department of Emergency Management said on X.
An evacuation order for the small town of Severo-Kurilsk, in the south of the Kamchatka peninsula, was also issued due to the tsunami threat.
Regional Health Minister Oleg Melnikov told Russia's state news agency TASS that several people had sought medical help after the earthquake. "Unfortunately, there were some injured... Some were injured while running outside, and one patient jumped out of a window. A woman was also injured inside the new airport terminal," Melnikov said, adding that no serious injuries had been reported.
The Kamchatka branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences said it was a very strong earthquake. "However, due to some features of the epicenter, the intensity of shaking is not as high... as one might expect from such a magnitude," the institute said in a video. "Aftershocks are still occurring... Their intensity will remain quite high. However, more powerful tremors are not expected in the near future. The situation is under control."
Kamchatka and the Russian Far East lie on the Pacific Ring of Fire, a geologically active region prone to major earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.
