An earthquake of 8.8 magnitude struck Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula on Wednesday, Japan's meteorological agency said. After the earthquake, a tsunami with wave heights of 3 to 4 meters was recorded in parts of the Kamchatka region, according to Russia’s regional minister for emergency situations.
The agency stated that the quake was reported at 8:25 am and registered a preliminary magnitude of 8. It issued an advisory for a tsunami of up to 1 metre along the Pacific coast of Japan. So far no damage has been reported.
News agency AP reported that a tsunami has hit coastal areas of Russia's Kuril Islands and Japan's large northern island of Hokkaido. Moreover, the Tsunami warning sirens blare in Honolulu and people are told to move to higher ground after earthquake off Russia.
Trump issues statement on Tsunami alert
US President Donald J Trump on X said, “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. Please visit https://tsunami.gov for the latest information. STAY STRONG AND STAY SAFE!”
Earthquake was about 250 kilometers away from Hokkaido
The quake was about 250 kilometers away from Hokkaido, Japan's northernmost of the country's four big islands, and was felt only slightly, according to Japan's NHK television.
The US Geological Survey said it hit at a depth of 19.3 kilometers. The USGC said shortly after initial reports that the quake's strength was 8.7 magnitude. There was no immediate information from Russia about how Kamchatka was affected.
Tsunami warning issued
The National Tsunami Warning Center, based in Alaska, issued a tsunami warning for parts of the Alaska Aleutian Islands, and a watch for portions of the West Coast, including California, Oregon, and Washington, and Hawaii.
The advisory also includes a vast swath of Alaska's coast line, including parts of the panhandle. A University of Tokyo seismologist Shinichi Sakai told NHK that a distant earthquake could cause a tsunami that affects Japan if its epicenter is shallow.
Japan one of the world's most quake-prone countries
Japan, part of the area known as the Pacific ring of fire, is one of the world's most quake-prone countries.
Earlier in July, five powerful quakes — the largest with a magnitude of 7.4 — struck in the sea near Kamchatka. The largest quake was at a depth of 20 kilometers and was 144 kilometers east of the city of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, which has a population of 180,000.
On Nov. 4, 1952, a magnitude 9 quake in Kamchatka caused damage but no reported deaths despite setting off 9.1-metre waves in Hawaii.
(With inputs from AP)
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