8.8 magnitude quake in Russia triggers alerts across the Pacific

A powerful magnitude 8.8 earthquake struck off Russia's Far Eastern Kamchatka Peninsula on Wednesday, generating a tsunami of up to 4 metres, damaging buildings and prompting warnings and evacuations stretching across the Pacific Ocean.

Surge warning for entire NZ coast

Several people were injured in the remote Russian region, while much of Japan's eastern seaboard - devastated by a powerful quake and tsunami in 2011 - was ordered to evacuate.

"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 to 4 metres was recorded in parts of Kamchatka, Sergei Lebedev, regional minister for emergency situations said, urging people to move away from the shoreline.

This kindergarten in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky was damaged by the powerful quake. Photo: Administration of the Governor of Kamchatka Krai/Handout via Reuters.

The United States Geological Survey said the quake was shallow at a depth of 19.3km and was centred 119km 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 and reported a strong aftershock of magnitude 6.9 soon after.

The Japan Weather Agency upgraded its warning, saying it expected tsunami waves of up to 3 metres to reach large coastal areas starting about 10am (local time). Broadcast NHK said evacuation orders had been issued by the government for some areas.

"Please evacuate quickly. If you can move quickly to higher ground and away from the coast," a newscaster on Japanese public broadcaster NHK said.

Factory workers and residents in Japan's northern Hokkaido evacuated to a hill overlooking the ocean, footage from broadcaster TBS showed.

Warnings across the Pacific

The US Tsunami Warning System also issued a warning of "hazardous tsunami waves" within the next three hours,

Waves reaching more than 3 metres were possible along some coasts of Russia and Ecuador, while waves of 1-3 metres were possible in Japan, Hawaii, Chile and the Solomon Islands, it said. Smaller waves were possible along coastlines across much of the Pacific, including the US West Coast.

Hawaii ordered evacuations from some coastal areas. "Take Action! Destructive tsunami waves expected," the Honolulu Department of Emergency Management said on X.

The Philippines' seismology agency advised people to stay away from beaches in coastal areas facing the Pacific, as these regions were expected to experience tsunami waves of less than one metre in height.

Indonesia's geophysics agency said tsunami waves of less than 50cm could hit some parts of Indonesia. The tsunami could reach some coastal cities and towns in the Papua region, North Maluku province and Gorontalo province, the agency said in a statement.

New Zealand's disaster management agency warned coastal areas could expect "strong and unusual currents and unpredictable surges at the shore". In a national advisory alert, Civil Defence New Zealand said there was no immediate need to evacuate, but citizens should stay away from beaches and shore areas.

The Kamchatka Peninsula and Russia's Far East sit on the Pacific Ring of Fire, a geologically active region that is prone to major quakes and volcanic eruptions. Photo: Getty Images (file)

Russian town evacuated

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 quake.

"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 quakes and volcanic eruptions.