Tsunami alert after powerful earthquakes hit Russia's Pacific coast
Germany's GFZ monitor also reported that a magnitude 6.7 quake was reported off the east of of Kamchatka Region on Sunday.
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Al Jazeera
5 days ago
- Al Jazeera
Tsunami warnings lifted across the Pacific allowing millions to return home
Japan's weather office has lifted a tsunami advisory imposed a day earlier, becoming one of the last countries to rescind the emergency order after one of the strongest earthquakes ever recorded hit Russia's Far East. The Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) issued a statement lifting the advisory on Thursday, as fears of a deadly disaster subsided across the Pacific, including the United States's West Coast and several Latin American countries, allowing millions to return to their homes. Storm surges of up to 4 metres (12 feet) were predicted for some parts of the Pacific, after the magnitude 8.8 quake struck off Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula on Wednesday. Ultimately, the tsunamis produced by the earthquake were weaker than had been feared. 'There is currently no coastal area for which tsunami warnings or advisories are in force,' the Japanese agency announced on Thursday afternoon (07:45 GMT). Almost two million people had been ordered to higher ground in Japan before the warnings were downgraded to an advisory for large stretches of its Pacific coast, with waves up to 0.7 metres still being observed earlier on Thursday. The highest recorded waves of about 1.3 metres were observed in Kuji, Iwate Prefecture, on Wednesday afternoon, according to Japan's public broadcaster NHK. The only reported death from the tsunamis was a woman killed when her car fell off a cliff in Japan as she tried to escape on Wednesday, Japanese media reported. Separately, 11 people were taken to hospital after developing symptoms of heatstroke while taking shelter in hot weather, with temperatures rising to about 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit) in some places. In Chile, the country's disaster response agency Senapred has downgraded its warning from 'alert' to 'state of precaution' in at least four areas early on Thursday. The country had conducted what the interior ministry said was 'perhaps the most massive evacuation ever carried out in our country' with 1.4 million people ordered to high ground after the earthquake on Wednesday. Earlier, Chilean authorities reported no damage or victims and registered waves of just 60 centimetres (two feet) on the country's north coast. In the Galapagos Islands, where waves of up to three metres were expected, there was relief as the Ecuadorian Navy's oceanographic institute said the danger had passed. Residents reported the sea level falling and then rising suddenly, a phenomenon which is commonly seen with the arrival of a tsunami. But a surge of just over a metre was reported, causing no damage. In the US, the country's National Weather Service originally issued tsunami 'warnings' for Hawaii, Alaska's Aleutian Islands and parts of California, as well as lower-level tsunami advisories for parts of Washington and Oregon. A less serious tsunami watch was in place for the entire US West Coast. However, the threat level for Alaska and the Hawaiian Islands was later downgraded from a warning to an advisory, meaning that people who had evacuated can now return to their homes. The worst damage was seen in Russia, where a tsunami crashed through the port of Severo-Kurilsk and submerged the local fishing plant, officials said. Russian state television footage showed buildings and debris swept into the sea. The surge of water reached as far as the town's World War II monument about 400 metres from the shoreline, said Mayor Alexander Ovsyannikov. Russian scientists reported that the Klyuchevskoy volcano erupted shortly after the earthquake. Wednesday's quake was the strongest in the Kamchatka region since 1952, the regional seismic monitoring service said, warning of aftershocks of up to a magnitude of 7.5. The US Geological Survey said the quake was one of the 10 strongest tremors recorded since 1900.
Qatar Tribune
5 days ago
- Qatar Tribune
Pacific states breathe easier after huge quake triggers tsunami scare
DPA Moscow/Tokyo A massive earthquake off Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula sent tsunami waves in the paths of millions of people in countries across the Pacific on Wednesday. From Japan, China and the Philippines to Hawaii, the US West Coast and Latin American countries like Mexico and Ecuador, warnings and evacuation order were issued due to the threat of potentially life-threatening, meter-high waves. Yet more than half a day after the quake rocked Russia's Far East, there were no reports of major damage. In most regions, tsunami warnings were downgraded or, like in Russia and Japan, lifted entirely. The danger was not over, however. Chile was still calling for mainland coastal regions to be evacuated, while on Easter Island the coastal promenade in Hanga Roa was closed, though most residents live in higher, safer areas, according to Radio Cooperativa. World's strongest earthquake in 14 years The main quake, which hit at about 11:24 am local time on Wednesday (2324 GMT Tuesday), was recorded by the US Geological Survey (USGS) at magnitude 8.8 - the strongest globally since Japan's Fukushima disaster in March 2011, and one of the six most powerful earthquakes ever measured. Russian authorities reported a magnitude of 8.7. According to the Russian Academy of Sciences, it was the strongest earthquake to hit Kamchatka since 1952. The epicentre was in the open sea, about 130 kilometres from the sparsely populated coastline. Dozens of aftershocks were recorded, many above magnitude 5. The two strongest were measured at 6.9 and 6.3 by the USGS. Minimal damage in Russia No major flood waves were recorded on the Kamchatka Peninsula, the Russian Civil Defence Ministry said on Telegram. A beach was evacuated as a precaution, with around 60 people brought to safety. Most buildings withstood the quake, though structural inspections are ongoing, it said. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said no casualties had been reported and that alert systems functioned as intended. In the regional capital of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, frightened residents fled outside barefoot, according to the Russian news agency TASS. According to civil protection officials, parts of the port of Severo-Kurilsk and a fisheries company were flooded. Japan evacuates Fukushima site On Japan's Pacific coast, a wave measuring 1.3 metres was recorded in a port in Iwate Prefecture, with up to 80-centimetre waves in other coastal regions, local media reported. Authorities had issued tsunami warnings for waves up to 3 metres high. Northern Japan lies geographically closest to the quake zone. Later, the Japanese Meteorological Agency downgraded its regional alerts, although advisories were still in place. More than 2 million people had been asked to evacuate earlier in the day. Workers at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant were evacuated due to the tsunami warning. Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) confirmed to the Japan Times that all staff reached higher ground safely. The facility was the site of a major nuclear disaster in March 2011, when an earthquake and tsunami triggered multiple reactor meltdowns. Warnings for Hawaii, US West Coast Initial tsunami waves reached Hawaii Tuesday evening, with a peak of 1.5 metres. The US downgraded its warning by early Wednesday and life on the archipelago had returned to normal. Warnings were also issued along the US West Coast, Alaska, Canada's British Columbia, and parts of Latin America. In Asia, China lifted its alert for coastal Zhejiang and Shanghai, while Taiwan also called off its alert. The Philippines and Indonesia later withdrew warnings after only minor sea level changes were observed. Volcano erupts in Russia's Far East Hours after the earthquake rocked Kamchatka, the region's highest volcano began erupting. Geophysicists from the Russian Academy of Sciences reported a strong glow visible at the summit of the 4,750-metre Klyuchevskoy volcano in the Russian Far East. Lava was seen flowing down one flank of the mountain, and explosions were audible, the experts said. Also known as Klyuchevskaya Sopka, the volcano is located roughly 400 kilometers north of the regional capital, Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky. It is considered the highest active volcano in Eurasia and forms part of the Pacific Ring of Fire - a seismically volatile zone encircling the Pacific Ocean.
Al Jazeera
5 days ago
- Al Jazeera
Japan, Hawaii spared as tsunami warnings from 8.8 magnitude quake fade
Japan, Hawaii spared as tsunami warnings from 8.8 magnitude quake fade NewsFeed Japan and Hawaii were spared from a feared tsunami after one of the largest earthquakes ever recorded struck in a remote region of eastern Russia. Video Duration 01 minutes 11 seconds 01:11 Video Duration 02 minutes 57 seconds 02:57 Video Duration 01 minutes 35 seconds 01:35 Video Duration 01 minutes 58 seconds 01:58 Video Duration 03 minutes 14 seconds 03:14 Video Duration 02 minutes 34 seconds 02:34 Video Duration 06 minutes 21 seconds 06:21
