Tsunami warnings across the Pacific have been downgraded after a massive 8.8-magnitude earthquake struck off Russia's Kamchatka peninsula, causing water surges that were less severe than initially feared. The shallow quake, one of the strongest ever recorded, prompted evacuations in several countries, but many later reduced their alerts as the impact proved limited.
The earthquake, which hit at a depth of 12 miles (19.3km) about 78 miles (126km) south-east of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, also triggered an eruption of the Klyuchevskoy volcano near the epicentre, according to the Russian Geophysical Survey. One death has been reported in Japan, where a 58-year-old woman died after her car veered off a cliff while she attempted to reach higher ground.
In Russia, a tsunami with waves of 3 to 4 metres was recorded along parts of the shore, flooding a port and sweeping away a building. However, Moscow reported no fatalities. Several people were injured in Kamchatka during the initial quake, including one person who jumped out of a window, according to regional officials. Kamchatka's governor described the quake as the strongest in decades, damaging a kindergarten.
Japan issued evacuation orders for more than 900,000 residents along its Pacific coast, where waves of up to 1.3 metres were recorded. Smaller surges later hit Hawaii and the US west coast, with waves less than a foot above normal sea level. Authorities warned residents to stay away from the water, noting that subsequent waves could be more powerful.
French Polynesia warned the Marquesas Islands to expect waves up to 4 metres, later revised to 2.5 metres. Chile raised its tsunami warning to the highest level for most of its coast and began evacuations. A tsunami watch remained in effect for Guam and Micronesia, with the US National Tsunami Warning Center forecasting waves up to 3 metres for Ecuador.
Russian authorities lifted their tsunami alerts late on Wednesday evening, 11 hours after the warnings were issued. In Severo-Kurilsk, a town of about 2,000 people, tsunami waves submerged a fishing plant and reached a second world war monument 400 metres from the shore. The mayor confirmed that all residents were evacuated in time.
