Monster 8.8 Quake Jolts Russia, Sparks Global Tsunami Alerts

This image, from a video by the Russian Academy of Sciences, shows the tsunami aftermath in Severo-Kurilsk on Paramushir Island, part of Russia's Kuril Islands | AP

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ONE of the strongest earthquakes ever recorded struck off Russia's sparsely populated Far East on Wednesday, sending tsunami waves into Japan, Hawaii, and the US West Coast.

Several people were injured, but none gravely, and no major damage has been reported so far. Authorities warned the risk from the 8.8 magnitude quake could last for hours, and millions of people potentially in the path of the waves were initially told to move away from the shore or seek high ground.

The worst appeared to have passed for many areas, including the US, Japan, and Russia. But along South America's Pacific Coast, new warnings were forcing evacuations in Chile and Colombia.

In the immediate aftermath of the quake off Russia's Kamchatka peninsula, residents fled inland as ports flooded, and several were injured while rushing to leave buildings.