Kamchatka earthquake: Japan, Alaska, and Hawaii issue tsunami warnings
Illustrative photo: tsunami warning issued across several Pacific regions (Yulii Zozulia/Ukrinform)
The United States and Japan have issued tsunami warnings following a powerful earthquake off the eastern coast of Russia, according to the US Geological Survey (USGS) and Bloomberg.
According to the US Geological Survey (USGS), a powerful magnitude 8.7 earthquake struck southeast of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky on the Kamchatka Peninsula in the early hours of Wednesday, July 30 (local time).
"A tsunami has been generated that could cause damage along coastlines of all islands in the state of Hawaii," stated the US National Weather Service’s Tsunami Warning System.
Residents have been urged to take immediate action to protect life and property.
The US Tsunami Warning System has also issued warnings for the entire US and Canadian West Coast, including:
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California
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Oregon
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Washington
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British Columbia
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Alaska, including the Alaska Peninsula
The alert zone stretches from California’s border with Mexico, up through Oregon and Washington, into Canada’s British Columbia, and continues toward southern Alaska and the Alaska Peninsula.
Additional tsunami warnings have been issued for:
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Aleutian Islands
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Guam
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The Philippines
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Russia
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Pacific island nations, including Yap and the Marshall Islands
Threat to Japan
Japan’s national broadcaster NHK issued a tsunami warning and urged residents to evacuate coastal areas.
Footage showed cars evacuating from coastal zones in Matsushima, located in Miyagi Prefecture, northern Japan.
According to Japan’s Meteorological Agency, wave heights may reach up to 3 meters in some areas.
For comparison, the catastrophic 2011 tsunami in Japan produced waves of nearly 40 meters.
Source: The United States Geological Survey (USGS) – earthquake.usgs.gov
Earthquakes in Kamchatka
On the morning of July 30, a powerful magnitude 8+ earthquake struck the Kamchatka Peninsula.
In Severo-Kurilsk, a kindergarten building was damaged, and a tsunami warning was declared for the region. According to local authorities, these were the strongest tremors in decades.
For context, the previous major earthquake in Kamchatka occurred in August 2024, registering 7.2 magnitude, and was followed by an eruption of the Shiveluch volcano.
