A powerful earthquake, among the most intense ever documented, hit Russia's scarcely inhabited Far East on Wednesday, generating tsunamis reaching four meters (12 feet) in height across the Pacific and prompting evacuations from Hawaii to Japan.
A powerful earthquake measuring 8.8 hit near Petropavlovsk on Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula, marking the biggest such event since 2011 when a 9.1-magnitude quake off Japan triggered a tsunami that resulted in over 15,000 fatalities.
More than two million individuals in Japan were advised to move to elevated areas, with tsunami alerts issued throughout the region, which were later canceled or reduced — despite scientists cautioning about the risk posed by strong aftershocks.
A tsunami had already struck and submerged the port town of Severo-Kurilsk, breaking through the harbor area and flooding the local fish processing plant, according to officials. Footage from Russian state television showed it sweeping buildings and trash into the ocean.
Officials stated that approximately 2,000 residents had been relocated.
The waves extended up to the town's World War II memorial, located approximately 400 meters from the coast, according to Mayor Alexander Ovsyannikov.
Multiple individuals were hurt in Russia due to the earthquake, according to official media, although no one was critically injured.
"A Kamchatka resident said the walls were trembling," according to state media Zvezda.
"It's fortunate we brought a suitcase; there was one containing water and clothes by the door. We quickly took it and fled... It was extremely frightening," she stated.
Later on Wednesday, officials from the Kamchatka Peninsula stated that the tsunami alert was lifted.
– Millions urged to evacuate –
Officials from nations bordering the Pacific Ocean in North and South America — such as the United States, Mexico, Ecuador, and Colombia — issued alerts advising people to stay away from affected beaches and coastal regions.
Over 2 million individuals in Japan were urged to relocate, with numerous people departing by vehicle or on foot towards elevated areas.
A woman lost her life when she crashed her vehicle off a cliff while attempting to flee, according to local media.
A 1.3-meter-high tsunami hit a port in Iwate, a northern prefecture in Japan, according to the country's weather agency.
By the end of Wednesday, the agency had reduced its tsunami warnings—issued across much of the island group—to advisory status.
In Hawaii, Governor Josh Green mentioned that flights to and from the island of Maui had been halted as a precaution.
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center subsequently reduced the alert for Hawaii to an advisory, and local officials rescinded a coastal evacuation order.
Previously, tsunami alarms sounded close to Hawaii's well-known Waikiki surfing beach, where an AFP photographer observed heavy traffic as locals moved to higher elevations.
"Maintain strength and ensure your safety!" said U.S. President Donald Trump on social media.
– Pacific alerts –
The earthquake on Wednesday was the most powerful in the Kamchatka area since 1952, according to the local seismic monitoring authority, which cautioned about possible aftershocks reaching 7.5 on the magnitude scale.
The epicenter is approximately in the same area as a 9.0-magnitude earthquake that occurred that year, which triggered a tsunami across the Pacific, as reported by the USGS.
The group stated that Wednesday's event was among the 10 most powerful earthquakes ever documented.
The earthquake was followed by a minimum of six tremors that continued to shake the Russian Far East, including one measuring 6.9 on the Richter scale.
The U.S. Tsunami Warning Centers indicated that waves higher than three meters above the normal tide level could occur along parts of Ecuador's coastline, the northwestern Hawaiian islands, and Russia.
One- to three-metre waves could occur along the coasts of Chile, Costa Rica, French Polynesia, Hawaii, Japan, and other Pacific islands, it noted.
Maximum waves of approximately one meter could occur in other locations, such as Australia, Colombia, Mexico, New Zealand, Tonga, and Taiwan.
– Fukushima evacuated –
At Inage Beach, located in Chiba Prefecture, Japan, authorities have established a security zone. A rescue worker informed AFP that the coastal area is closed to the public indefinitely.
The Fukushima nuclear facility in northeastern Japan — damaged by a major earthquake and tsunami in 2011 — was evacuated, according to its operator.
In Taitung, Taiwan, hotel resort employee Wilson Wang, 31, said to AFP: "We have advised guests to remain safe and not venture out, and to steer clear of the coastline."
The Pacific country of Palau, located roughly 800 kilometers (500 miles) east of the Philippines, issued an order to evacuate "all coastal regions."
Maximum waves of four meters are anticipated during the night in the Marquesas Islands, according to a statement released by officials in French Polynesia.
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