A shallow magnitude 8.8 earthquake struck off Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula early on Wednesday, prompting tsunami warnings across the Pacific from Japan to the west coast of the United States. The quake hit at a depth of 19.3 kilometres, 126 kilometres east-southeast of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, according to the Russian Academy of Sciences. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center warned that waves of 1 to 3 metres above tide level were possible along some coastal areas of Hawaii, Chile, Japan, the Solomon Islands, Russia, and Ecuador.
In Russia, early reports indicated damage. The governor of Kamchatka described the earthquake as serious, noting a kindergarten had been damaged. A tsunami wave swept away buildings in Severo-Kurilsk on the Kuril Islands, prompting a state of emergency, although all residents were evacuated and reported safe. Parts of the town were flooded.
Japan issued evacuation warnings after recording three tsunami waves, the largest measuring 60 centimetres. Officials warned that waves up to 3 metres could arrive along the northern Japanese coast. Workers at the Fukushima nuclear plant were evacuated as a precaution, with operator Tepco stating no abnormalities had been observed at the site, which suffered meltdown after a tsunami in 2011.
In the United States, tsunami warning sirens sounded in Honolulu, urging people to move to higher ground. The National Tsunami Warning Center issued warnings for parts of the Alaska Aleutian Islands and a watch for the West Coast, including California, Oregon, and Washington, as well as Hawaii. Donald Trump posted on Truth Social urging Americans to stay strong and safe.
Other nations issued advisories: New Zealand warned of strong currents and unpredictable surges, advising people to stay away from beaches. Indonesia and Peru issued alerts for potential waves, with Peru's Geophysical Institute expecting waves up to 3 metres. Mexico mobilised authorities to keep people away from Pacific beaches, warning of strong currents at port entrances from Baja California to Chiapas.
