BREAKINGBREAKING,
Magnitude 8.7 quake off Russia’s east coast prompts warnings, evacuations in dozens of countries.
Tsunami alerts have been issued in dozens of countries after a massive earthquake off the Russian coast.
Waves of up to 4 metres high (13 feet) were recorded in Russia’s far-eastern Kamchatka region early on Wednesday, with tsunami alerts issued for Japan, the United States, Russia, the Philippines, Indonesia, Ecuador, Costa Rica, and numerous Pacific island states.
The US National Weather Service issued tsunami warnings for the state of Hawaii and Alaska’s Aleutian Islands and Hawaii, and a lower-grade tsunami advisories for parts of California, including Los Angeles, and Oregon.
Less serious tsunami watches were in place for the entire US West Coast.
The Honolulu Department of Emergency Management in Hawaii urged the evacuation of residents in some coastal areas.
“Take Action! Destructive tsunami waves expected,” the agency said on X.
The Hawaii Emergency Management Agency said it expected the first waves to arrive at 7:10 local time.
Japanese authorities said they expected waves as high as 3 metres (9.8 ft) to hit some coastal areas.
“People in coastal areas or along rivers should immediately evacuate to safe places such as high ground or evacuation buildings,” the Japan Meteorological Agency said in a statement.
“Tsunamis can strike repeatedly. Do not leave the safe location until the warning is lifted.”
Footage posted on social media showed residents of some Japanese coastal communities moving to higher ground.
Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba briefly addressed the public earlier, urging the public to evacuate from areas under tsunami warning.
Ishiba said the government “will put in our best effort in order to avoid any damage to the public”, although it is still unknown how the day’s events will unfold.
The magnitude 8.7 earthquake struck 136km (85 miles) east of the city of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky in Russia’s far east, according to the United States Geological Survey.
Kamchatka Governor Vladimir Solodov said in a video posted on Telegram that the quake was the “strongest in decades”.
The regional health minister, Oleg Melnikov, told Russia’s state-run TASS news agency that several people had been injured but none of them seriously.
Subsequent quakes of magnitude 6.9 and 6.3 were recorded 147km (91 miles) and 131km (81 miles) southeast of Petropavlovsk and Vilyuchinsk, respectively, in Russia’s far east, according to the USGS.
Robert Weis, a tsunami expert at Virginia Tech, said the situation appeared to be serious.
“It is correct to be worried about this one,” Weis told Al Jazeera.
“Three metres is pretty destructive,” he said.
More to follow…
