A powerful magnitude-8.8 earthquake struck off Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula early Wednesday, prompting tsunami warnings and advisories across the Pacific, from Japan and Hawaii to parts of the US and Canada.
The quake, which hit at a depth of 21 kilometres, is the strongest globally since 2011 and the most powerful in Russia since 1952, according to the US Geological Survey.
Tsunami waves reaching up to 1.2 metres (four feet) were recorded in Hawaii, with authorities warning of further impacts. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) said tsunami waves were already hitting Hawaii as of 8:25 p.m. local time. In California, a tsunami warning was issued for a sparsely populated stretch of the northern coast, upgraded from an earlier advisory.
“Everything has been OK so far, we haven’t seen a big wave,” said Hawaii Governor Josh Green, but warned that receding water along the coastline could signal a larger wave to come. “We expect two to three hours at least until we can call all clear.”
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Japan reported limited impact, with waves of 10 to 30 centimetres detected in multiple coastal regions, including Hokkaido and Kanagawa. Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba urged residents in affected areas to evacuate, warning that “the second, third and fourth waves of tsunami could be much bigger.”
In Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture, cars were seen fleeing coastal areas while flights at Sendai Airport were suspended. Public broadcaster NHK interrupted regular programming to broadcast real-time evacuation guidance.
The scale of the earthquake was large enough to displace significant volumes of water. “That size usually makes it to the other side of the Pacific,” said Lucy Jones, a seismologist at Caltech. “Tsunamis travel at about 500 to 600 miles per hour—the speed of a 747.”
Hawaii officials said the waves are expected to affect multiple shores and urged residents in coastal areas to evacuate immediately.
In 2011, a similar undersea quake off the coast of northeastern Japan triggered waves up to 40 metres high, causing over 20,000 deaths and leading to the Fukushima nuclear disaster. Authorities across the Pacific are on high alert to avoid a repeat.
