8.8-Magnitude Quake in Russia triggers Tsunami Across Pacific

Russia

A powerful 8.8 magnitude earthquake struck off Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula on Wednesday, triggering tsunami waves up to five metres high and prompting warnings across the Pacific, from Japan to Hawaii and the U.S. West Coast.

According to the Russian Academy of Sciences, it is the region’s strongest quake since 1952. The tremor caused structural damage in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky and injured several people. In Severo-Kurilsk, tsunami waves swept through the port, partially flooding a fish processing plant and dragging boats from their moorings.

Footage from the region showed shoreline areas submerged and water surging back into the sea. One witness described violent shaking lasting nearly three minutes.

Evacuation orders were issued in Japan, where memories of the 2011 disaster remain fresh. A woman in central Japan’s Mie prefecture died while fleeing. The Fukushima nuclear plant was temporarily evacuated as a precaution, though no damage was reported.

In Hawaii, waves of up to 1.7 metres hit the islands before warnings were scaled back. Airports in Honolulu reopened after brief closures. Minor waves were also recorded in California and British Columbia.

The U.S. Tsunami Warning System had earlier projected possible waves of over 3 metres for coastal Russia, northern Hawaii, and Ecuador, and up to 3 metres in Japan, Chile, and the Solomon Islands.

Russia’s Emergency Ministry said no fatalities have been reported, though damage to infrastructure continues to be assessed. Aftershocks are ongoing, but geophysicists say no stronger quakes are expected.

Kamchatka lies on the volatile Pacific “Ring of Fire,” known for frequent seismic activity.