Millions flee after tsunami alert caused by huge quake

Flood warnings triggered for several countries, including Japan and US, after 8.8 magnitude quake off eastern Russia

- GRAIG GRAZIOSI MAROOSHA MUZAFFAR TARA COBHAM

One of the strongest earthquakes ever recorded rocked Russia's remote far-eastern coast yesterday, sending tsunami waves towards Japan, Hawaii and the west coast of the US, triggering evacuation orders for millions of people.

The 8.8-magnitude quake, the sixth-strongest on record, was later followed by the eruption of a volcano on the Kamchatka Peninsula, near the epicentre. However, despite the intensity of the tremor there were no reported deaths, nor any major damage. The quake struck at 8.25am [11.25 GMT] Japan time with a magnitude of 8.8 and a depth of about 21km (13 miles), according to the US Geological Survey. It was centred about 121km (75 miles) from the Russian city of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky. Multiple aftershocks of up to 6.9 magnitude followed.

In the immediate aftermath of the quake, residents fled inland as ports flooded, and several people were injured while rushing to leave buildings. In Japan, people flocked to evacuation centres, hilltop parks and rooftops in towns on the Pacific coast, with memories still fresh of the 9.0 magnitude earthquake in 2011 and the ensuing tsunami that caused a nuclear disaster. Evacuation orders were issued for tens of thousands of people, with ferries, trains and airports in the affected area suspending or delaying some operations.