The earthquake

Strong earthquake in Russia, tsunami warning from Japan to Hawaii

The magnitude 8.8 quake was recorded in the eastern Kamchatka peninsula. Waves of 3-4 metres. Evacuations in the Pacific

30 July 2025

Tsunami waves flood an area after a powerful magnitude 8.8 earthquake struck off Russia's far eastern Kamchatka Peninsula, in Severo-Kurilsk, Sakhalin Region, Russia, July 30, 2025, in this still image taken from video. Kamchatka branch of the Geophysical Survey of the Russian Academy of Sciences/Handout via REUTERS THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. NO RESALES. NO ARCHIVES. MANDATORY CREDIT TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY

2' min read

From our correspondent

NEW DELHI - A violent earthquake of magnitude 8.8 struck Russia's eastern regions overnight, triggering a tsunami alert in the Pacific Ocean from Japan to Ecuador via Hawaii. The first waves, up to four metres high, hit the Kuril Islands, where a state of emergency was declared, and the Kamchatka peninsula in Russia.

The epicentre of the earthquake, the most violent in the world for more than a decade, was recorded at a depth of 20.7 kilometres and 119 kilometres from Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, a coastal city of 165,000 inhabitants overlooking Avacha Bay in the southeastern arm of Kamchatka.

L’EPICENTRO

For the time being, there are reports of injuries, but no victims. The Japan Meteorological Agency explained that the tsunami risk is expected to last more than 24 hours. In the Asian country, orders to leave coastal areas affect about 900,000 people.

Japanese TV station TBS showed images of the ongoing evacuation on the island of Hokkaido in the north of the country, while the state broadcaster NHK urged the population to quickly leave coastal areas and reach areas higher than sea level.

Similar alarms were also sounded in Russia by Kamchatka Governor Vladimir Solodov, who called the earthquake 'the strongest in decades' in the region.

The US Tsunami Warning System has also issued warnings for the coasts of Russia, Japan, Alaska, Oregon, California and Hawaii, with warnings also issued in Guam and Micronesia. The affected region is located on the so-called Ring of Fire, a vast region of the Pacific that is particularly prone to strong earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.

Giappone, lo tsunami colpisce la prefettura di Ibaraki

The magnitude of the earthquake was initially measured at 8.0, then revised upwards, first to 8.7, then to 8.8. The earthquake off Kamchatka is the strongest since the 9.0 earthquake in March 2011 off northeastern Japan, which caused a huge tsunami that triggered the Fukushima nuclear disaster.

The atomic power plant, which is being dismantled after being damaged by the great earthquake and tsunami of 2011, has been evacuated.

New Zealand authorities, 9,600 kilometres from the epicentre of the quake, also issued warnings of 'strong and unusual currents and unpredictable waves' along coastlines across the country. The alert from the government's emergency management agency urged people to get out of the water, leave beaches and coastal areas, and move away from harbours, marinas, rivers and estuaries.

Marco MasciagaCorrispondente da New Delhi
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Luogo: New Delhi
Lingue parlate: Italiano, inglese
Argomenti: Asia del Sud
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