Tsunami hits Russia, Japan after powerful earthquake of 8.8 magnitude strikes Kamchatka | Key updates
Japan's meteorological agency issued a tsunami warning, stating that waves of up to three metre could reach the country's Pacific coast. A tsunami warning has also been issued for parts of the Alaska Aleutian Islands, and a watch for portions of the West Coast, including California, Oregon, and Washington.
New Delhi: A powerful earthquake measuring 8.8 magnitude on Richter scale, the strongest since 1952, struck Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula on Wednesday morning, triggering tsunami in Japan’s Hokkaido and Russia’s Kuril Islands. A tsunami alert has also been issued for the US. According to United States Geological Survey (USGS), the earthquake hit about 85 miles (136 kilometres) east of Petropavlovsk, located on Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula, and occurred at a depth of 12 miles (19 kilometres).
Key points on big story of the day
-- Indians nationals in California, other US West Coast states, and Hawaii have been advised to monitor alerts from US authorities, avoid visiting coastal areas and move to higher ground. The Consulate General of India in San Francisco has also issued a helpline number: +1-415-483-6629.
-- While no injuries or loss of lives were reported following the earthquake, a wall of a kindergarten in Kamchatka collapsed. An evacuation was ordered for the small town of Severo-Kurilsk in the Sakhalin region after a tsunami warning. "Today’s earthquake was serious and the strongest in decades of tremors,” Kamchatka Governor Vladimir Solodov said in a social media post.
-- Russia's Tass news agency said that panic-stricken people in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky came out on the street without shoes or outwears after the earthquake. The quake also caused power cut and mobile phone service failures in the capital of the Kamchatka region.
-- Several videos have surfaced on social media capturing the chilling moment the powerful earthquake stuck Kamchatka. In one of the clips, furniture inside a residential apartment can be seen shaking violently. Another video shows a building shaking violently.
-- Earlier this morning, Japan's meteorological agency issued a tsunami warning, stating that waves of up to three metre could reach the country's Pacific coast. "Tsunamis will strike repeatedly. Do not enter the sea or approach the coast until the warning is lifted," it said. According to Japan's NHK television, the quake occurred about 250 kilometers (160 miles) away from Hokkaido, Japan's northernmost of the country's four big islands.
-- US' National Weather Service's Pacific Tsunami Warning Center also sounded a tsunami alert in Hawaii, saying a tsunami generated from the quake could cause damage along the coastlines of all the Hawaiian islands. It said "urgent action should be taken to protect lives and property."
-- US President Donald Trump also posted on social media about the tsunami warning and advised residents to stay indoors. "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!," he wrote on X.
-- A tsunami warning has also been issued for parts of the Alaska Aleutian Islands, and a watch for portions of the West Coast, including California, Oregon, and Washington. The advisory issued by Alaska-based National Tsunami Warning Center also includes a vast swath of Alaska's coast line.