TSUNAMI: HAWAII HIT AS MASSIVE EARTHQUAKE OFF RUSSIA PUTS PACIFIC ON ALERT

A tsunami has hit coastal areas of Russia's Kuril Islands and Japan's large northern island of Hokkaido after a powerful, 8.8-magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of Russia early Wednesday

- KALIDAS NEWDELHI

One of the world's strongest earthquakes struck Russia's Far East early on Wednesday (July 30, 2025), an 8.8-magnitude trembler that caused a tsunami in the northern Pacific region and prompted warnings for Alaska, Hawaii and other coasts south toward New Zealand.

Several locations advised evacuations, but no major injuries have been reported so far.

The magnitude 8.8 quake struck at 8:24 a.m. (2304 GMT Tuesday [July 29]) off Petropavlovsk on Russia's remote Kamchatka peninsula and was one of the 10 biggest recorded, according to the USGS.

China's tsunami warning centre also said waves of between 30 centimetres and one metre were expected to hit parts of the eastern seaboard.

In Japan, people evacuated by car or on foot to higher ground -- including in Hokkaido, where a first wave measuring 30 centimetres was observed. There were no injuries or damage reported in Japan.

There is no tsunami threat to the Indian coast following the 8.7 magnitude earthquake off the East Coast of Kamchatka in Russia, the Indian Tsunami Early Warning Centre (ITEWC) said.

"Based on pre-run model scenarios, there is no threat to India," the centre said in a bulletin issued in the morning.

Hawaiian authorities have seen no sign of a significant wave since beginning preparations for a tsunami after a powerful earthquake struck off Russia's far eastern Kamchatka Peninsula, Governor Josh Green said.

Hawaii's Emergency Management Agency said all commercial harbours had been closed and flights cancelled in and out of the island of Maui, but there were no plans to shut off power.