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A massive earthquake struck off Russia’s remote Kamchatka Peninsula on Wednesday, setting off tsunami waves up to four metres high and prompting widespread evacuations across the Pacific Rim, from Japan and Hawaii to parts of South America.
The 8.8-magnitude quake, one of the most powerful ever recorded, hit near Petropavlovsk in the Far East of Russia. It is the strongest to affect the region since 1952 and the most significant globally since Japan’s 2011 disaster, which resulted in over 15,000 deaths.
Tsunami warnings were quickly issued across the Pacific, including for Japan, the United States, Mexico, Colombia, and Ecuador. Although many alerts were later downgraded or cancelled, authorities urged continued caution due to the threat of strong aftershocks.
In Russia, the port town of Severo-Kurilsk was among the hardest hit. Waves flooded parts of the town, damaging buildings and sweeping debris into the sea. The 2,000-strong population was successfully evacuated, and although some injuries were reported, none were serious. Dramatic footage from Russian state media showed water submerging a local fish plant and reaching as far as a World War II memorial some 400 metres inland.
A Kamchatka resident told local media that they had kept an emergency bag ready: “We quickly grabbed it and ran out… it was terrifying.”
Japan responded swiftly, advising nearly two million people to move to higher ground. A woman was reportedly killed after driving her car off a cliff during an attempt to evacuate. A 1.3-metre wave was recorded in Iwate Prefecture, and tsunami advisories remained in effect for parts of the Japanese archipelago later into the evening.
Hawaii also sounded tsunami sirens, leading to gridlock near Waikiki Beach as people rushed to evacuate. Although early warnings led to flight cancellations on Maui, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center later downgraded Hawaii’s alert. U.S. President Donald Trump responded online, encouraging residents to “stay strong and stay safe.”
Meanwhile, waves were expected to reach several Pacific nations, including French Polynesia, Taiwan, Australia, and New Zealand, with varying degrees of height—from one to four metres in places like the Marquesas Islands.
In Fukushima, Japan, the site of the infamous 2011 nuclear disaster, staff evacuated the nuclear facility as a precaution.
In Taiwan, coastal hotels advised guests to avoid the shoreline, while Palau and other island nations evacuated vulnerable coastal areas.
Seismologists recorded multiple powerful aftershocks, including one measuring 6.9 magnitude. Experts warned that more tremors could follow in the coming days.
The U.S. Geological Survey said Wednesday’s event ranks among the ten strongest earthquakes ever documented.
