8.8 magnitude earthquake hits Russia; Japan upgrades tsunami alert to 3 metres for Pacific coast
Tokyo: Japan’s meteorological agency said on Wednesday that a powerful, magnitude 8.8 earthquake hit near Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula and issued a tsunami advisory for Japan.
The agency said the quake occurred at 8.25 am Japan time (4:55 am IST) and registered a preliminary magnitude of 8.0. Japan's weather agency upgraded its tsunami warning saying waves of up to three metres (9.8 feet) were expected.
The waves were expected to hit between 10.00 am and 11.30 am Japan time (6:30 am-8:00 am IST) along Japan's Pacific coast, the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) said.
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said waves of 1 to 3 meters (yards) above tide level were possible along some coastal areas of Hawaii, Chile, Japan and the Solomon Islands. Waves of more than 3 meters (yards) were possible along some coastal areas of Russia and Ecuador.
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said a tsunami had been generated by the quake that could cause damage along the coastlines of all the Hawaiian islands.
“Urgent action should be taken to protect lives and property,” the warning stated. The first waves were expected around 7 pm Tuesday local time (10:30 am IST).
Several people were injured in Russia's far east when a powerful 8.7 magnitude earthquake struck near the coast early Wednesday, state media reported.
"Unfortunately, there are patients who were injured during the earthquake... All patients are in satisfactory condition. No serious injuries have been reported at this time," Kamchatka region health minister Oleg Melnikov was quoted as saying by the state TASS news agency.
Tsunami warning sirens blared across Honolulu, Hawaii, urging residents to evacuate to higher ground after the powerful earthquake.
Damage and evacuations were reported in the Russian regions nearest the quake's epicenter on the Kamchatka Peninsula.
The quake was about 250 kilometers (160 miles) away from Hokkaido, Japan's northernmost of the country's four big islands, and was felt only slightly, according to Japan’s NHK television.
The U.S. Geological Survey said it hit at a depth of 19.3 kilometers (12 miles). There was no immediate information from Russia about how Kamchatka was affected.
A tsunami watch, which is a relatively low-level warning, has been issued for Hawaii.
A University of Tokyo seismologist Shinichi Sakai told NHK that a distant earthquake could cause a tsunami that affects Japan if its epicenter is shallow.
Japan, part of the area known as the Pacific ring of fire, is one of the world's most quake-prone country.
Earlier in July, five powerful quakes — the largest with a magnitude of 7.4 — struck in the sea near Kamchatka. The largest quake was at a depth of 20 kilometers and was 144 kilometers (89 miles) east of the city of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, which has a population of 180,000.
On Nov. 4, 1952, a magnitude 9.0 quake in Kamchatka caused damage but no reported deaths despite setting off 9.1-meter (30-foot) waves in Hawaii.
(with inputs from AP and AFP)