In videos: Buildings shake, alarms ring as 8.8 magnitude Earthquake jolts Russia. Tsunami alert issued

Mint

30-07-2025

A massive earthquake measuring 8.8 on the Richter scale struck off Russia's remote Kamchatka Peninsula on Wednesday, setting off tsunami warnings across parts of the Pacific, including Russia, Japan, and Alaska. The quake, among the strongest recorded in the region in decades, caused widespread tremors and panic but, so far, no reported casualties.
According to the US Geological Survey (USGS), the epicentre was located about 125 km southeast of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, along Avacha Bay. The quake occurred at a relatively shallow depth of 19.3 km, amplifying its intensity. The USGS initially recorded the magnitude at 8.0 before upgrading it to a powerful 8.8.
Videos circulating on social media captured the terrifying moments the quake hit. In one clip, furniture violently shakes inside a home, while another shows a building swaying with alarming force. One video even shows the exact moment the quake was detected by Russian seismic monitoring systems, an alarm going off as data appears in real-time.
Officials reported damage to buildings, including a kindergarten, but confirmed there were no injuries as of the latest updates. Kamchatka Governor Vladimir Solodov called it 'the most powerful quake the region has seen in decades.'
The US Tsunami Warning System warned that 'hazardous tsunami waves' could impact coastal areas of Russia and Japan within hours. Japan's Meteorological Agency (JMA) issued a tsunami alert, expecting waves up to 3 metres high along its Pacific coast between 10:00 am and 11:30 am local time.
In response to the threat, evacuation orders were issued in Severo-Kurilsk, a small town south of the peninsula, according to Sakhalin Governor Valery Limarenko. Russia's emergency services reported a tsunami wave of up to 32 cm already reaching the coast in some areas.
Tsunami watches were also put in place for parts of Alaska, Guam, and Micronesia as authorities monitored the situation closely.
Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula lies along the Pacific Ring of Fire, one of the most seismically active regions in the world, known for frequent earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. Wednesday's quake serves as a stark reminder of the geological volatility in the area.
As assessments continue, authorities in the region remain on high alert for aftershocks and further tsunami activity.