Watch a view of beach and hotels in Hawaii on Wednesday (30 July) after authorities issued tsunami warnings following a massive earthquake off Russia’s Kamchatka peninsula.
Tsunami waves hit Russia and Japan after one of the strongest recorded earthquakes at an 8.8 magnitude struck Russia’s far east on Wednesday, causing devastation and triggering mass evacuations.
A tsunami of 3-4m slammed the coastal areas of Russia’s Kuril Islands, while Japanese authorities recorded tsunami waves as high as 40cm in 16 locations off the coast of Hokkaido.
Tsunami warnings were also in place for parts of Canada, Alaska, and other coasts south toward New Zealand, though many have since been downgraded.
Several people were injured in Russia’s far eastern Kamchatka Peninsula, while more than 900,000 people across Japan’s eastern seaboard were asked to evacuate. “Today’s earthquake was serious and the strongest in decades of tremors,” Kamchatka governor Vladimir Solodov said.
Footage shared by Russian media showed water reaching parts of the shoreline and residents climbing to higher ground as tsunami sirens blared. Similar sirens were sounded in Japan, urging people to move to higher ground.
Regional authorities on Kamchatka said several people were injured.
