Massive 8.8 Quake Strikes Russia's Kamchatka, Triggers Tsunami Warnings Across Pacific

New Delhi (India) July 30: Officials report that evacuations were ordered in the region and over the majority of Japan's east coast. It happens after a strong 8.8-magnitude underwater earthquake strikes the Far Eastern Kamchatka Peninsula in Russia early on Wednesday. It also causes tsunami waves as high as 4 meters (13 feet).

According to Russian authorities, emergency procedures are started. There are reports of destruction of multiple structures. But as of yet, no significant casualties or injuries have been reported. The tsunami also strikes coastal regions of Japan's big northern island of Hokkaido and Russia's Kuril Islands.

Aftershock Intensifies Fears

Alerts have been sent out for areas around the Pacific. It also includes the US, Japan and a number of island countries.

Concerns over structural instability and possible secondary waves were increased by a 6.9-magnitude aftershock. It happened about an hour after the main earthquake. It occurs 147 kilometers southeast of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, at a depth of only 10 kilometers.

No Major Casualties Reported

Although there were no recorded injuries, Kamchatka Governor Vladimir Solodov acknowledges that a kindergarten had been damaged.

In response to the tsunami threat, the Sakhalin region of Russia's Severo-Kurilsk area is ordered to evacuate. Governor Valery Limarenko states that as a precaution, authorities were making sure households were relocated safely.

According to the US Geological Survey, the epicenter of the earthquake is roughly 125 kilometers (80 miles) east-southeast of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky. It is a coastal city with a population of about 1,65,000 people. The earthquake occurs at a shallow depth of 19.3 kilometers (12 miles). After first reporting a magnitude of 8.0, the USGS raised it to 8.8.

According to Russia's regional minister for emergency circumstances, tsunami waves measuring three to four meters high were observed in several areas of the Kamchatka region. It happens shortly after the earthquake. Minister Lebedev advises people to undertake serious precautions. He says, "All need to move away from water peaks".

Pacific on High Alert

The US Tsunami Warning System warns of "hazardous tsunami waves" that are expected to hit in three hours. The northwest Hawaiian Islands and parts of Russia's Pacific coast are predicted to have wave heights of more than 3 meters (10 feet) above tide level.

The US National Weather Service's Pacific Tsunami Warning Center also issues a tsunami warning for Hawaii. It claimed that a tsunami had been created that "could cause damage along the coastlines of all the Hawaiian islands."

The earthquake on Wednesday occurs just weeks after five powerful earthquakes were detected in the waters close to Kamchatka earlier in July. The earthquake occurred 144 kilometers east of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky. It happens at a depth of 20 kilometers.

Aadrika Tayal