A powerful 8.8 magnitude earthquake struck off the eastern coast of Russia near the Kamchatka Peninsula on Wednesday, prompting widespread tsunami warnings across the Pacific Ocean.
The quake occurred at 11:25 a.m. local time (00:25 BST) and is among the most powerful ever recorded. Authorities issued immediate warnings, stressing that the threat could persist for hours. Millions of people living along Pacific coastlines were urged to evacuate or move to higher ground. Approximately two million individuals were ordered to leave their homes in Russia, Japan, and Hawaii, with additional alerts issued in China, the Philippines, Indonesia, New Zealand, Colombia, Mexico, and Peru.
Footage from Severo-Kurilsk, a town in Russia, showed large waves inundating the port area, sweeping away boats. Waves reaching up to four meters (13 feet) struck a fish processing facility and caused damage to power infrastructure in the Sakhalin region.
In Japan, about 1.9 million people were advised to evacuate. Although the initial waves were minor, the meteorological agency warned they could grow to heights of up to three meters (9.8 feet). Many of the warnings have since been scaled back.
In Hawaii, officials initially forecast waves as high as 10 feet, but the threat was later reduced to a tsunami advisory. Residents who had evacuated were allowed to return.
Authorities in Colombia also advised residents in coastal zones to relocate to higher ground and avoid beaches.
Russian officials reported no casualties, crediting the absence of fatalities to robust building codes and the effectiveness of early warning systems.
According to the U.S. Geological Survey, the quake struck at a shallow depth of 20.7 kilometers (12 miles), roughly 119 kilometers southeast of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky. Initially measured at magnitude 8.0, it was later revised upward to 8.8. Multiple strong aftershocks have since been recorded.
This earthquake ranks as the sixth most powerful in recorded history, tying with the 2010 Chile earthquake and the 1906 Ecuador quake. The strongest earthquake in Kamchatka’s history occurred in 1952, measuring magnitude 9.
In comparison, the catastrophic 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake—which triggered a deadly tsunami and claimed over 227,000 lives—was recorded at magnitude 9.2 to 9.3. That event occurred in a densely populated area near Sumatra, Indonesia, whereas the Kamchatka Peninsula remains sparsely populated.
