Russia earthquake Highlights: Warning lifted in Russia's Kamchatka hit by 8.8 magnitude quake
Russia has lifted the tsunami warning for Sakhalin Island after an 8.8-magnitude earthquake struck the Kamchatka region earlier today
Warning lifted in Russia's Kamchatka hit by 8.8 magnitude quake
Japan downgrades tsunami warning to advisory for large coastal areas, says Japanese broadcaster NHK. However, warnings still remain in Hokkaido and Tohoku.
A tsunami advisory has been issued for most coastal areas of British Columbia, Canada's most western province. Residents are advised to avoid the ocean, follow official instructions and and wait for the all clear.
A tsunami threat alert has been issued for parts of the South Pacific, including Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, and Vanuatu.
The warning comes from the US's National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
The tsunami has reached the coast of California, according to the US National Weather Service. It's showing up in Arena Cove and Monterey in the north of the state, making its way further down, the service adds.
The US Navy has secured vessels at Hawaii ports and ordered evacuations along shorelines and beaches as tsunami waves reached the state, according to a spokesperson for Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam on Oahu.
Oprah Winfrey has opened her private road in Maui, Hawaii, to help residents evacuate following tsunami warnings, her spokesperson said.
"As soon as we heard the tsunami warnings, we contacted local law enforcement and FEMA to ensure the road was opened," the spokesperson told CNN.
The monster waves of tsunami have begun approaching Hawaii and Alaska in the US shortly after warning was issued.
A wave has passed through the Midway Atoll island between Japan and Hawaii at 6ft (1.8m), Hawaii governor Josh Green says.
He says this was from the trough to peak of the wave.
"We're still expecting a significant wave," he adds, and they will only give the all clear when they feel there is "total safety".
Tsunami waves have begun arriving on Japan's coast following a massive earthquake that hit Russia's Kamchatka peninsula. Authorities have urged coastal residents to move to higher ground immediately.
US President Donald Trump posted on his Truth Social platform after a tsunami warning was issued for the Pacific coast of the United States and Hawaii. "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. STAY STRONG AND STAY SAFE!" he said.
China, the Philippines, Indonesia, New Zealand and even Peru and Mexico have issued tsunami alerts
Besides Russia and Japan, the California and Hawaii region of the United States and New Zealand has also been put on high alert amid fears of tsunami. The most powerful earthquake in decades struck Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula causing minor injuries and widespread flooding.
Russia's Sakhalin region has declared a state of emergency in the northern Kuril Islands, the same part of the country where video has emerged of tsunami waves inundating a port town.
More than 1.9 million people have been asked to evacuate in Japan. Around 10,500 of these people are in Hokkaido, where local media footage shows people gathering on a rooftop.
Evacuations are under way in Japan, Hawaii and some parts of the US West Coast as a magnitude 8.8 earthquake off Russia's far eastern Kamchatka Peninsula has triggered tsunami warnings across the Pacific Ocean
PTC News Desk: A massive earthquake of 8.8 magnitude struck off Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula early on Wednesday triggering powerful tsunami waves and prompting evacuations in the area and across most of Japan's east coast, officials said.
Alerts have been issued across the Pacific, including for Japan, the US, and several island nations.
According to the Russian authorities, several emergency services were initiated , however no injuries or casualties have been reported so far. According the media reports, the tsunami has also hit coastal areas of Russia's Kuril Islands and Japan's large northern island of Hokkaido.
The US Geological Survey (USGS) said the quake occurred at a shallow depth of 19.3 kilometres (12 miles), with its epicentre located approximately 125 kilometres (80 miles) east-southeast of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, a coastal city with a population of roughly 1,65,000 situated along Avacha Bay. The USGS initially reported the magnitude as 8.0 but later upgraded it to 8.8.
The US Tsunami Warning System issued alerts for 'hazardous tsunami waves' likely to strike within three hours. Meanwhile in Japan the Meteorological Agency issued warnings that tsunami waves of up to 1 meter could reach large portions of the country's eastern coastline starting around 0100 GMT.
- With inputs from agencies
