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News18
4 hours ago
- Climate
- News18
Tsunami Hits Japan, Russia After 8.8 Magnitude Earthquake Rocks Pacific Japan Earthquake
An earthquake measuring 8.8 on the Richter Scale, one of the strongest recorded in recent times, hit Russia's Far East on Wednesday, triggering a tsunami in the northern Pacific per the United States Geological Survey, formerly known as the Geological Survey website, the earthquake that struck east of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, Russia, occurred as the result of shallow reverse faulting. News18 Mobile App -
New York Times
5 hours ago
- Climate
- New York Times
Hawaii Declares Emergency After Massive Quake Off Russia Causes Tsunami
Gov. Josh Green of Hawaii declared an emergency on Tuesday ahead of a tsunami that was expected to reach the state within hours, after a rare 8.8-magnitude earthquake struck off Russia's eastern coast. ' Sirens and cellphone alerts blared across Hawaii's islands on Tuesday afternoon. The first wave was expected to arrive at 7:10 p.m. local time, the state's emergency authorities said. Mr. Green said on social media that emergency operations centers had been fully activated, and he urged residents to take the situation seriously. 'If you are in a coastal area, move inland and to higher ground immediately. Do not wait,' he said. On Hawaii's Big Island, a cruise ship docked in Kailua-Kona harbor summoned its passengers back to the boat with a siren. Police officers warned tourists at food trucks to leave. Many people on Oahu, where Honolulu is situated, did not wait for official advice to seek higher ground, and traffic was dense along mountain roads. Among the early evacuees was Jaqueline Mylroie, who owns a general store in Puakō, a coastal community on the Big Island, and was trying to find shelter in Waimea, which is on higher ground. Some of her neighbors in Puakō had not left yet, Ms. Mylroie said. The earthquake, about 78 miles east-southeast of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, Russia, took place at 7:24 p.m. Tuesday Eastern time, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. It could be the sixth-strongest earthquake ever recorded, according to the Geological Survey, whose seismologists often revise the magnitude of earthquakes as they gather more data. Tsunami warnings were also issued for Japan's Pacific coast and two eastern regions of Russia, and watches and advisories were in effect along the West Coast of the United States and as far away as Chile. The National Weather Service warned people in California to stay away from beaches and waterways.
CTV News
6 hours ago
- Climate
- CTV News
8.7-magnitude earthquake in Russia's Far East sets off tsunami warnings in Japan, Alaska and Hawaii
A tsunami warning is displayed on a television in Yokohama, near Tokyo, Wednesday, July 30, 2025, after Japan issued alerts following a strong earthquakes off the Kamchatka Peninsula. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko) TOKYO — A tsunami has hit coastal areas of Russia's Kuril Islands and Japan's large northern island of Hokkaido after an 8.7-magnitude earthquake early Wednesday. Tsunami warning sirens blared Tuesday in Honolulu and people were told to move to higher ground. The Japan Meteorological Agency said a first tsunami wave of about 30 centimetres (about one foot) reached Nemuro on the eastern coast of Hokkaido. The first tsunami wave hit the coastal area of Severo-Kurilsk, the main settlement on Russia's Kuril Islands in the Pacific, according to the local governor Valery Limarenko. He said residents were safe and staying on high ground until the threat of a repeat wave was gone. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said waves of one-to-three metres (yards) above tide level were possible along some coastal areas of Hawaii, Chile, Japan and the Solomon Islands. Waves of more than 3 metres (yards) were possible along some coastal areas of Russia and Ecuador. THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP's earlier story follows below. TOKYO (AP) — A magnitude-8.7 earthquake in Russia's Far East early Wednesday prompted tsunami warnings in parts of Japan, Alaska and Hawaii. Damage and evacuations were reported in the Russian regions nearest the quake's epicenter on the Kamchatka Peninsula. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said waves of 1 to 3 metres (yards) above tide level were possible along some coastal areas of Hawaii, Chile, Japan and the Solomon Islands. Waves of more than 3 metres (yards) were possible along some coastal areas of Russia and Ecuador. Japan's meteorological agency issued a tsunami alert for Japan's Pacific coast, saying waves up to 3 meter (yards) could arrive along the northern Japanese coasts less than half an hour after the alert. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said a tsunami had been generated by the quake that could cause damage along the coastlines of all the Hawaiian islands. 'Urgent action should be taken to protect lives and property,' the warning stated. The first waves were expected around 7 p.m. Tuesday local time. The quake at 8:25 a.m. Japan time had a preliminary magnitude of 8.0, Japan and U.S. seismologists said. Japan and the U.S. Geological Survey later updated their measurements to 8.7 magnitude and the USGS said the quake occurred at a depth of 19.3 kilometres (12 miles). The quake was about 250 kilometres (160 miles) away from Hokkaido, the northernmost of Japan's four big islands, and was felt only slightly, according to Japan's NHK television. Russia's Tass news agency reported from the biggest city near the epicenter, Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, that many people ran out into the street without shoes or outerwear. Cabinets toppled inside homes, mirrors were broken, cars swayed in the street and balconies on buildings shook noticeably. Tass also reported power outages and mobile phone service failures in the capital of the Kamchatka region. Tass also quoted a local Russian official as saying residents on Sakhalin Island were being evacuated and emergency services were working at full capacity. The National Tsunami Warning Center, based in Alaska, issued a tsunami warning for parts of the Alaska Aleutian Islands, and a watch for portions of the West Coast, including California, Oregon, and Washington, and Hawaii. The advisory also includes a vast swath of Alaska's coast line, including parts of the panhandle. Earlier in July, five powerful quakes — the largest with a magnitude of 7.4 — struck in the sea near Kamchatka. The largest quake was at a depth of 20 kilometres and was 144 kilometres (89 miles) east of the city of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, which has a population of 180,000. On Nov. 4, 1952, a magnitude 9.0 quake in Kamchatka caused damage but no reported deaths despite setting off 9.1-meter (30-foot) waves in Hawaii. Mari Yamaguchi, The Associated Press
Yahoo
7 hours ago
- Climate
- Yahoo
Powerful quake in Russia's Far East causes tsunami, Japan and Hawaii order evacuations
(Reuters) -A magnitude 8.7 earthquake struck off Russia's Far Eastern Kamchatka Peninsula on Wednesday, generating a tsunami of up to 4 metres (13 feet), damaging buildings and prompting evacuation warnings in the area and across most of Japan's east coast, officials said. "Today's earthquake was serious and the strongest in decades of tremors," Kamchatka Governor Vladimir Solodov said in a video posted on the Telegram messaging app, adding that a kindergarten was damaged. A tsunami with a height of 3-4 metres (10-13 feet) was recorded in parts of Kamchatka, Sergei Lebedev, regional minister for emergency situations said, urging people to move away from the shoreline of the peninsula. The U.S. Geological Survey said the earthquake was shallow at a depth of 19.3 km (12 miles), and was centred 126 km (80 miles) east-southeast of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, a city of 165,000 along the coast of Avacha Bay. It revised the magnitude up from 8.0 earlier. The Japan Weather Agency upgraded its warning, saying it expected tsunami waves of up to 3 metres (10 feet) to reach large coastal areas starting around 0100 GMT. Broadcast NHK said evacuation orders had been issued by the government for some areas. Factory workers and residents in Japan's northern Hokkaido evacuated to a hill overlooking the ocean, footage from broadcaster TBS showed. "Please evacuate quickly. If you can move quickly to higher ground and away from the coast," a newscaster on Japanese public broadcaster NHK said. The U.S. Tsunami Warning System also issued a warning of "hazardous tsunami waves" within the next three hours along some coasts of Russia, Japan, Alaska and Hawaii. A tsunami watch was also in effect for the U.S. island territory of Guam and other islands of Micronesia. Hawaii ordered evacuations from some coastal areas. "Take Action! Destructive tsunami waves expected," the Honolulu Department of Emergency Management said on X. An evacuation order for the small town of Severo-Kurilsk, south of the Kamchatka peninsula, was declared due to the tsunami threat, Sakhalin Governor Valery Limarenko said on Telegram. Several people sought medical assistance following the quake, Oleg Melnikov, regional health minister told Russia's TASS state news agency. "Unfortunately, there are some people injured during the seismic event. Some were hurt while running outside, and one patient jumped out of a window. A woman was also injured inside the new airport terminal,' Melnikov said. 'All patients are currently in satisfactory condition, and no serious injuries have been reported so far.' The Kamchatka branch of the Geophysical Service of the Russian Academy of Sciences said it was a very powerful earthquake. "However, due to certain characteristics of the epicentre, the shaking intensity was not as high ... as one might expect from such a magnitude," it said in a video on Telegram. 'Aftershocks are currently ongoing ... Their intensity will remain fairly high. However, stronger tremors are not expected in the near future. The situation is under control.' Kamchatka and Russia's Far East sit on the Pacific Ring of Fire, a geologically active region that is prone to major earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.
South China Morning Post
8 hours ago
- Climate
- South China Morning Post
Tsunami warnings issued after magnitude 8 quake off Russia
A magnitude 8 earthquake struck off Russia 's Kamchatka Peninsula on Wednesday, sparking tsunami warnings from Japan and the US Tsunami Warning Center. The US Geological Survey said the earthquake was shallow, at a depth of 19.3km (12 miles). The Japan Weather Agency said it expected a tsunami of one metre (3.3 feet) to reach large coastal areas starting around 0100 GMT. 'A tsunami advisory has been issued as of 8.37am on July 30,' the Japan Meteorological Agency said on social media, warning that 'tsunamis will strike repeatedly. Do not enter the sea or approach the coast until the warning is lifted'. The agency said the quake occurred at 8.25am and registered a preliminary magnitude of 8. It issued an advisory for a tsunami along the Pacific coast of Japan. So far, no damage has been reported.
