A powerful earthquake off the Kamchatka Peninsula has triggered tsunamis in Russia and Japan, with hazardous waves possible in Hawaii, Alaska, and other parts of the Pacific
An 8.8-magnitude earthquake, followed by multiple powerful aftershocks, struck off the Kamchatka Peninsula on Wednesday, triggering tsunami alerts across several coastal regions in the northern Pacific.
The jolt, which occurred around 11:30am local time approximately 136 kilometers southeast of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, was the strongest earthquake in the area since 1952, according to the Geophysical Service of the Russian Academy of Sciences.
The first tsunami waves have already reached the shoreline of Severo-Kurilsk, a town in the northern Kuril Islands. Local authorities ordered the evacuation of the town’s population to elevated areas away from the coast.
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Waves measuring around 30 centimeters were also observed along the coastline of Hokkaido in northern Japan, according to NHK, with authorities warning that subsequent waves could be higher.
The US National Tsunami Warning Center has issued a tsunami advisory for the entire US West Coast, as well as parts of Canada and Alaska. Tsunami advisories are also in effect for the entire state of Hawaii.
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