A powerful magnitude 8.8 earthquake struck off Russia’s Far Eastern Kamchatka Peninsula on Wednesday, triggering a tsunami with waves up to 4 metres (13 feet), forcing evacuations and causing damage to buildings, according to officials cited by Reuters.In parts of Kamchatka, tsunami waves reaching 3 to 4 metres (10–13 feet) were recorded, according to Sergei Lebedev, the regional minister for emergency situations, who urged residents to stay away from the peninsula’s shoreline.The United States Geological Survey reported that the earthquake was shallow, occurring at a depth of 19.3 km (12 miles), with its epicentre located around 125 km (80 miles) east-southeast of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, a coastal city of 165,000 on Avacha Bay. The agency initially reported the earthquake as magnitude 8, but later upgraded it to 8.8.The country was struck by multiple significant earthquakes, including a magnitude 6.3 quake 131 km southeast of Vilyuchinsk, a magnitude 6.9 tremor 147 km southeast of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, according to preliminary data. Earlier, a tsunami alert was issued in the Pacific after the quake struck the Russian coast, AFP reported citing USGS on Tuesday (local time).The US authorities issued a tsunami advisory for parts including Alaska, while Hawaii, was put on a low level warning of tsunami watch.Japan’s meteorological agency also issued a tsunami advisory, cautioning that waves of up to three metre could reach the country’s Pacific coast. The agency said, “tsunamis will strike repeatedly. Do not enter the sea or approach the coast until the warning is lifted.” Earlier, the advisory cautioned of waves up to one meter.The quake occurred roughly 250 kilometres from Hokkaido and was felt only mildly, according to NHK television. University of Tokyo seismologist Shinichi Sakai told the agency that even a distant earthquake can trigger a tsunami in Japan, especially if its epicenter is shallow.Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula also experienced a series of five powerful offshore earthquakes in July. The strongest, measuring 7.4 in magnitude, occurred at a depth of 20 kilometres and was located about 144 kilometres (89 miles) east of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, a city of 180,000 residents.
