Magnitude 8.8 quake off Russia’s east coast prompts warnings and evacuations in dozens of countries.
Tsunami waves have hit parts of Russia and Japan after a massive earthquake off the Russian coast, with alerts issued for dozens of other countries, including the United States and the Philippines.
Potentially hazardous waves were expected in parts of the US, much of coastal Latin America and numerous Asian and Pacific island states later on Wednesday.
Waves up to 4 metres high (13 feet) have already struck Russia’s far-eastern Kamchatka region, said Sergei Lebedev, the regional minister for emergency situations, following the 8.8-magnitude quake, one of the largest on record.
Severo-Kurilsk, a seaport town in the Sakhalin region in the northern Kuril Islands, was flooded, forcing the evacuation of its 2,000 residents, Russia’s Ministry of Emergencies and Disaster Relief said.
Videos posted on Russian social media showed buildings in the town submerged in water, as authorities declared a state of emergency throughout the North Kuril District. District Mayor Alexander Ovsyannikov said there had been enough time to evacuate everyone on the impacted islands. “All the people are in the tsunami safety zone,” he said at a crisis meeting.
“Potential to generate large tsunamis”
The US Tsunami Warning Centers said waves as high as 3 metres (9.8 feet) could hit Ecuador and Russia, while waves of 1 to 3 metres (3.3-9.8ft) were possible in Hawaii, Chile, Peru, Costa Rica, Japan and some Pacific islands.
“This is a subduction zone setting that has the potential to generate large tsunamis,” Nathan Bangs, a research professor at the University of Texas Institute for Geophysics, told Al Jazeera. “It is similar to other settings that have generated large tsunamis in recent years that followed earthquakes, such as Sumatra in 2004 and Tohoku in 2011.”
The US National Weather Service issued tsunami “warnings” for the state of Hawaii, Alaska’s Aleutian Islands and parts of California, as well as lower-level tsunami advisories for parts of Washington and Oregon, with waves expected to arrive from the late afternoon on Wednesday.
A less serious tsunami watch was in place for the entire US West Coast.
The Honolulu Department of Emergency Management in Hawaii urged the evacuation of residents from some coastal areas.
“Take Action! Destructive tsunami waves expected,” the agency said on X.
HNL Alert: 08:16 PM 07-29-2025 – HNL Alert: Tsunami Warning 8:15PM UPDATE – Take Action NOW! Tsunami waves are currently impacting Hawaii. Info: https://t.co/YRpptHbSzb Remain outside evacuation zones. Map at https://t.co/fl1PGwu7TZ. https://t.co/z72fh63vu7 pic.twitter.com/SBO9CeV4JC
— Oahu Emergency Mgmt. (@Oahu_DEM) July 30, 2025
Authorities in the state said they expected the first waves to arrive at 7:10pm local time on Tuesday (05:10 GMT, Wednesday).
Hawaii’s Department of Transportation said that commercial flights had been suspended at Hilo International Airport to facilitate evacuations.
Social media users shared images of reported bumper-to-bumper traffic in Honolulu and other urban areas as residents fled for higher ground.
“Tsunamis can strike repeatedly”
US President Donald Trump urged residents in Hawaii, Alaska, and along the Pacific Coast to pay attention to tsunami-related advisories.
“STAY STRONG AND STAY SAFE!” Trump said in a social media post.
Due to a massive earthquake that occurred in the Pacific Ocean, a Tsunami Warning is in effect for those living in Hawaii. A Tsunami Watch is in effect for Alaska and the Pacific Coast of the United States. Japan is also in the way. Please visit https://t.co/wdFzeu1I0h for the…
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 30, 2025
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 urged the public to evacuate from affected areas.
Japanese media reported the arrival of the first waves, measuring about 30cm (1ft) high, on the northern Japanese island of Hokkaido on Wednesday morning.
Japan’s Fire and Disaster Management Agency did not report any damage or injuries.
Alerts were also issued for the Philippines, Indonesia and Taiwan.
The US Geological Survey (USGS) said the 8.8-magnitude quake, revised up from an earlier estimate of 8.0, struck 136km (85 miles) east of the city of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky in Russia’s far east.
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 in the earthquake, 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 tsunamis could cause serious damage.
“It is correct to be worried about this one,” Weis told Al Jazeera.
“Three metres is pretty destructive,” he said.
Also read: Bursa forest fire: ex-soldier accused of arson
Source: Aljazeera.com
