Strong earthquake off Russia's east coast – tsunami warning in the Pacific

Pacific tsunami warning
Strong seaquake off Russia's east coast

The epicentre of the earthquake was located off the coast of

at a depth of around 20 kilometres.

A severe earthquake measuring 8.8 on the Richter scale struck off the Russian peninsula of Kamchatka this morning.

It is the strongest earthquake since Fukushima in 2011. Tsunami warnings have been issued around the Pacific.

The first tsunami waves, up to 3 metres high, reached the coasts of Kamchatka and the Japanese Kuril Islands in the morning. Tsunami warnings were issued for many other regions from Hawaii to Alaska and the US west coast following the earthquake.

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Images and videos of the tsunami in Kamchatka are already circulating on social media.

According to initial reports, there were no injuries, which is probably due to the low population density of the remote peninsula in the Pacific. In addition, coastal residents in Japan were urged to seek safety.

The tremors were the sixth strongest since records began. Further strong aftershocks are expected during the course of the day.

Weather & Radar editorial team

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