Japan and US issue tsunami warnings, evacuations after massive earthquake off Russia
Japan's weather agency issued a tsunami warning of waves up to 3m on its Pacific coasts following the 8.8 magnitude quake.
Japan's weather agency issued a tsunami warning of waves up to 3m on its Pacific coasts following the 8.8 magnitude quake. Source: SBS News Japanese public broadcaster NHK said evacuation orders had been issued by the government for some areas, spanning hundreds of kilometres.
Factory workers and residents in Japan's northern Hokkaido evacuated to a hill overlooking the ocean, footage from broadcaster TBS showed.
The US Pacific Tsunami Warning Center, based in Honolulu, also warned of 3m waves possibly hitting the coasts of Russia and Hawaii, as well as the US island territory of Guam. The US Tsunami Warning System's warning for Hawaii said the tsunami could cause "damage along coastlines of all islands in the state", saying "urgent action should be taken to protect lives and property". The danger could continue for many hours after the initial wave, as subsequent waves arrived, it said. Hawaii ordered evacuations from some coastal areas. "Take Action! Destructive tsunami waves expected," the Honolulu emergency management department said on X. Russia said the 8.8 magnitude earthquake was its strongest in decades, and an evacuation order was declared for the small town of Severo-Kurilsk, south of the Kamchatka Peninsula. Several people sought medical assistance following the quake, regional health minister Oleg Melnikov told Russia's TASS state news agency, with no serious injuries reported so far.
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SBS Australia
5 days ago
- SBS Australia
Tsunami alerts lifted after massive Russia quake prompts evacuations across the Pacific
A very powerful magnitude 8.8 earthquake off Russia's far eastern Kamchatka coast on Wednesday triggered tsunami warnings as far away as French Polynesia and Chile, and was followed by an eruption of the most active volcano on the peninsula. The shallow quake damaged buildings and injured several people in the remote Russian region while people on much of Japan's eastern seaboard — devastated by a 9.0 magnitude earthquake and tsunami in 2011 — was ordered to leave, as were residents in parts of Hawaii. Authorities in Japan, Hawaii and Russia later downgraded their tsunami warnings. In French Polynesia. authorities urged residents to remain cautious but lifted a tsunami alert in the Marquesas Islands, saying people could return to their homes. Tsunami waves had begun hitting early on Wednesday but were smaller than initially feared, authorities said. The French High Commission in French Polynesia said wave heights had reached 1.5m, down from a previous forecast of up to four metres. The Marquesas Islands, among the most remote in the world, have a population of approximately 9500, according to a 2022 census. Elsewhere in French Polynesia, wave heights were expected to remain below 30cm, not requiring people to flee or shelter. Most powerful quake since 1952 Russian scientists said the quake in Kamchatka was the most powerful to hit the region since 1952. The US Geological Survey said it was shallow, at a depth of 19.3km, and centred 119km east-southeast of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, a city of 165,000. "It felt like the walls could collapse any moment. The shaking lasted continuously for at least three minutes," said Yaroslav, 25, in the city. Source: SBS News Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said there had been no casualties in Russia, crediting solid building construction and the smooth operation of alert systems. In Severo-Kurilsk in the northern Kuril Islands, tsunami waves exceeded three metres, with the largest up to five metres, Russia's RIA news agency reported. A quake of magnitude 6.07 later struck the Kuril Islands that lie between Kamchatka and northern Japan, the German Research Centre for Geosciences said. Tsunami waves partially flooded the port and a fish processing plant in the town, sweeping vessels from moorings, regional officials and Russia's emergency ministry said Verified drone footage showed the town's entire shoreline submerged, with taller buildings and some storage facilities surrounded by water. A tsunami warning was displayed on a television in Yokohama, near Tokyo, on Wednesday. Source: AAP / AP/Eugene Hoshiko Volcano eruption The Klyuchevskoy volcano on Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula began erupting later, a geological monitoring service said. Located about 450km north of the regional capital, Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, Klyuchevskoy is one of the highest volcanoes in the world. "A descent of burning hot lava is observed on the western slope. Powerful glow above the volcano, explosions," the Russian Academy of Sciences' United Geophysical Service said on Telegram. Hawaii recorded waves of up to 1.7 metres while in Japan the largest recorded came to 1.3 metres, officials said. Waves of nearly half a metre were observed in the US state of California, with smaller ones reaching Canada's province of British Columbia. But a tsunami advisory was cancelled for coastal British Columbia as well as coastal areas of south Alaska. The quake occurred on what is known as a "megathrust fault" where the denser Pacific Plate is sliding underneath the lighter North American Plate, according to scientists. The Pacific Plate has been on the move, making the Kamchatka Peninsula off Russia's far east coast especially vulnerable, and bigger aftershocks could not be ruled out, they said.
West Australian
5 days ago
- West Australian
Tsunami risk eases after Kamchatka Russian earthquake, volcano erupts on Russia's far east coast
A very powerful magnitude 8.8 earthquake off Russia's far eastern Kamchatka coast has triggered tsunami warnings as far away as French Polynesia and Chile, and was followed by an eruption of the most active volcano on the peninsula. The shallow quake damaged buildings and injured several people in the remote Russian region while people on much of Japan's eastern seaboard - devastated by a 9.0 magnitude earthquake and tsunami in 2011 - was ordered to leave, as were residents in parts of Hawaii. Authorities in Japan, Hawaii and Russia later downgraded their tsunami warnings. Authorities in French Polynesia urged residents to remain cautious but lifted a tsunami alert in the Marquesas Islands, saying people could return to their homes. Tsunami waves had begun hitting early on Wednesday but were smaller than initially feared, authorities said. The French High Commission in French Polynesia said wave heights had reached 1.50 metres, down from a previous forecast of up to four metres. Additional smaller waves were expected in the coming hours, officials said. The Marquesas Islands, among the most remote in the world, have a population of approximately 9500, according to a 2022 census. Elsewhere in French Polynesia, wave heights were expected to remain below 30 centimetres, not requiring people to flee or shelter. However, residents are urged to stay away from shorelines and river mouths. Some initial wave surges were reported on Nuku Hiva, the largest of the Marquesas, about 1400km northeast of Tahiti, the French high commission said. Russian scientists said the quake in Kamchatka was the most powerful to hit the region since 1952. The US Geological Survey said it was shallow, at a depth of 19.3km, and centred 119km east-southeast of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, a city of 165,000. 'It felt like the walls could collapse any moment. The shaking lasted continuously for at least three minutes,' said Yaroslav, 25, in the city. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said there had been no casualties in Russia, crediting solid building construction and the smooth operation of alert systems. In Severo-Kurilsk in the northern Kuril Islands, tsunami waves exceeded three metres, with the largest up to five metres, Russia's RIA news agency reported. A quake of magnitude 6.07 later struck the Kuril Islands that lie between Kamchatka and northern Japan, the German Research Centre for Geosciences said. Tsunami waves partially flooded the port and a fish processing plant in the town, sweeping vessels from moorings, regional officials and Russia's emergency ministry said. Verified drone footage showed the town's entire shoreline submerged, with taller buildings and some storage facilities surrounded by water. The Klyuchevskoy volcano on Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula began erupting later, a geological monitoring service said. Located about 450km north of the regional capital, Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, Klyuchevskoy is one of the highest volcanoes in the world. 'A descent of burning hot lava is observed on the western slope. Powerful glow above the volcano, explosions,' the Russian Academy of Sciences' United Geophysical Service said on Telegram. Hawaii recorded waves of up to 1.7 metres while in Japan the largest recorded came to 1.3 metres, officials said. Flights out of Honolulu airport resumed in the evening, the transportation department said. Waves of nearly half a metre were observed in the US state of California, with smaller ones reaching Canada's province of British Columbia. But a tsunami advisory was cancelled for coastal British Columbia as well as coastal areas of south Alaska. Kamchatka and Russia's far east sit on the Pacific Ring of Fire, a geologically active region that is prone to earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. The quake occurred on what is known as a 'megathrust fault' where the denser Pacific Plate is sliding underneath the lighter North American Plate, according to scientists. The Pacific Plate has been on the move, making the Kamchatka Peninsula off Russia's far east coast especially vulnerable, and bigger aftershocks could not be ruled out, they said. Video footage from the region's health ministry showed a team of medics in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky performing surgery as the quake shook their operating theatre. The medics used their hands to try to steady both the patient and their equipment, CCTV footage released by the Kamchatka region's health ministry showed. with DPA
The Age
5 days ago
- The Age
Tsunami threat for Japan, Hawaii downgraded after evacuation orders sparked panic
A powerful magnitude 8.8 earthquake off Russia's far eastern Kamchatka Peninsula triggered four-metre tsunami waves and sparked evacuation orders across the Pacific on Wednesday. In Hawaii, coastal residents were told to get to high ground or the fourth floor or above of buildings, and the US Coast Guard ordered ships out of harbours as the tsunami approached. Waves of up to 1.7 metres hit the Hawaiian islands shortly after 4.30pm AEST, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre said. Earlier, Hawaii Governor Josh Green said no major effects had been felt, but all flights in and out of Maui, the second-largest island, were cancelled. Much of Japan's eastern coastline – devastated by a 9.0 magnitude earthquake and tsunami in 2011 – was also ordered to prepare, with almost 2 million people under an evacuation order as of Wednesday afternoon. The Japanese government issued an emergency warning, saying it expected a tsunami as high as three metres to arrive across widespread Pacific coastal areas. Telling Hawaiians to be ready, Green described the incoming tsunami as a 'forceful wall of water' and warned that waves could drown people, damage houses and the electricity grid, move cars, and dislodge trees. 'Take Action! Destructive tsunami waves expected,' the Honolulu Department of Emergency Management said on X. Hawaiian authorities downgraded the tsunami threat to 'advisory' level on Wednesday evening, confirming a major tsunami was no longer expected to strike the US island state.
