A tsunami has hit coastal areas of Russia’s Kuril Islands and Japan’s northern island of Hokkaido after a powerful, 8.8-magnitude earthquake struck off Russia’s far east.
Several people were injured in the remote Russian region, while much of Japan’s eastern seaboard – devastated by a powerful earthquake and tsunami in 2011 – was ordered to evacuate.
The first tsunami wave hit the coastal area of Severo-Kurilsk, the main settlement on the Kuril Islands, local governor Valery Limarenko said.
Tsunami warnings were also in place for Alaska, Hawaii and other coasts south toward New Zealand.
The US Tsunami Warning Centre confirmed the tsunami was generated by the quake off Russia’s far eastern Kamchatka Peninsula and could cause damage along the coastlines of all the Hawaiian islands.
The US Geological Survey said Wednesday’s quake was shallow at a depth of 19.3km, and was centred 119km east-southeast of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, a city of 165,000. It reported a strong aftershock of magnitude 6.9.
The quake was the strongest since 1952, the Geophysical Service of the Russian Academy of Sciences said.
Japan’s weather agency upgraded its warning, saying it expected tsunami waves of up to three metres to reach large coastal areas.
Tsunami alarms sounded in coastal towns across Japan’s Pacific coast with authorities urging people to seek higher ground.
Footage on public broadcaster NHK showed scores of people in the northern island of Hokkaido on the roof of a building, sheltering under tents as fishing boats left harbours to avoid potential damage from the incoming waves.
The Tsunami Warning System said a tsunami watch was also issued for the US island territory of Guam, Micronesia and a vast swath of Alaska’s coastline.
Hawaii ordered evacuations from some coastal areas. “Take Action! Destructive tsunami waves expected,” the Honolulu Department of Emergency Management said on X.
US President Donald Trump also warned Hawaii in a post: “Due to a massive earthquake that occurred in the Pacific Ocean, a Tsunami Warning is in effect for those living in Hawaii.”
New Zealand’s disaster management agency said the country’s coastal areas could expect “strong and unusual currents and unpredictable surges at the shore”.
In a national alert, Civil Defence New Zealand said there was no immediate need to evacuate but urged people to stay away from beaches and shore areas.
Several people sought medical assistance following the earthquake, Oleg Melnikov, regional health minister told Russia’s TASS state news agency.
“Unfortunately, there are some people injured during the seismic event. Some were hurt while running outside, and one patient jumped out of a window. A woman was also injured inside the new airport terminal,” he said.
“All patients are currently in satisfactory condition, and no serious injuries have been reported so far.”
Russia’s Ministry for Emergency Services said on Telegram the port in the Sakhalin town of Severo-Kurilsk and a fish processing plant were partially flooded by a tsunami. The population has been evacuated.
While a kindergarten was also damaged, most buildings withstood the quake and no fatalities had been reported, the ministry added.
Kamchatka and Russia’s Far East sit on the Pacific Ring of Fire, a geologically active region that is prone to major earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.
with agencies
