A powerful earthquake has struck Russia’s Far East, triggering tsunami warnings across the Pacific region from Japan to the US and raising concerns of possible aftershocks.
The earthquake, with an epicentre off the eastern coast of Russia’s Kamchatka peninsula about 120km from the city of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, was of 8.8 magnitude, according to the US Geological Service.
It was the strongest since the 9.1-magnitude Tohoku earthquake in 2011 that triggered a massive tsunami and disaster at Japan’s Fukushima nuclear plant.
The tremor early on Wednesday struck at a depth of about 20km, and was followed by more than a dozen aftershocks, including one of 6.9 magnitude.
Should the 8.8 magnitude reading hold, the earthquake would be tied as the sixth-largest recorded globally since 1900, according to the USGS.
A wave of about 30cm triggered by the quake reached Japan’s northern island of Hokkaido at about 10:36am. Japan Meteorological Agency issued a tsunami warning for waves of up to 3 metres along stretches of the east coast, smaller than the ones that reached up to 40m in parts of the country in 2011.
The agency said in a press conference on Wednesday that citizens in the relevant coastal areas should stay in evacuation sites situated high above ground until the warning is lifted.
“Tsunamis can strike repeatedly over a long period of time. Waves that come after the first one can be even larger, so please remain evacuated until warnings and advisories are officially lifted,” it said.
The US National Weather Service also issued a tsunami warning for Alaska’s western archipelago, Hawaii and part of northern California, while advisories were in place for the rest of the US west coast.
Residents in coastal areas of Oahu, the Hawaiian island where the state capital Honolulu is located, have been instructed to evacuate, according to the Oahu Department of Emergency Management. Waves were expected to reach Hawaii at 7.17pm on Tuesday.
“You can expect a tsunami wave to hit the state, and it will not just hit one beach. It will wrap around the islands very likely,” Hawaii governor Josh Green said at press conference on Tuesday. “Assume that [waves] will be life threatening.” He added that flooding is expected on all of Hawaii’s islands.
US President Donald Trump wrote on social media: “Due to a massive earthquake that occurred in the Pacific Ocean, a Tsunami Warning is in effect for those living in Hawaii. A Tsunami Watch is in effect for Alaska and the Pacific Coast of the United States. Japan is also in the way.”
“STAY STRONG AND STAY SAFE!” he added.
Indonesia’s meteorological, climatological and geophysics agency issued a tsunami warning for 10 cities in the country’s east, including the provinces of Papua and North Maluku. It said waves of less than 0.5 metres could hit some parts of the country on Wednesday afternoon.