8.8-magnitude earthquake causes tsunami in Russia and Japan

TOKYO (AP) — A tsunami has hit coastal areas of Russia’s Kuril Islands and Japan’s large northern island of Hokkaido after a powerful, 8.8-magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of Russia early Wednesday.

Warnings are also in place for Alaska, Hawaii and other coasts south toward New Zealand.

The Japan Meteorological Agency said a tsunami as high as 40 centimetres (1.3 feet) had been detected in 16 locations as the waves moved south along the Pacific coast from Hokkaido to just northeast of Tokyo.

Officials urged caution, saying that bigger waves could come later.

Damage and evacuations were reported in the Russian regions nearest the quake’s epicentre on the Kamchatka Peninsula.

Several locations advised evacuations, but no major injuries have been reported.

Cars jammed streets and highways in Honolulu as the tsunami alerts coincided with the Tuesday afternoon rush-hour. Warning sirens blared as people moved to higher ground. Hawaii schools cancelled after-school and evening activities.

A tsunami of 50 centimetres (1.6 feet) was detected at the Ishinomaki port in northern Japan, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency.

That was the highest measurement so far among several locations around northern Japan.

The Russian areas nearest the quake’s epicentre on the Kamchatka Peninsula reported damage and evacuations, but no serious injuries.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said a tsunami had been generated by the quake that could cause damage along the coastlines of all the Hawaiian islands.

“Urgent action should be taken to protect lives and property,” the warning stated. The first waves were expected around 7 p.m. Tuesday local time.

The Oregon Department of Emergency Management said on Facebook that small tsunami waves were expected along the coast starting around 11:40 p.m. local time, with wave heights between 1 to 2 feet (30 to 60 centimetres). It urged people to stay away from beaches, harbours and marinas and to remain in a safe location away from the coast until the advisory is lifted.

“This is not a major tsunami, but dangerous currents and strong waves may pose a risk to those near the water,” the department said.

Much of the West Coast spanning Canada’s British Columbia province, Washington state and California were also under a tsunami advisory.

The quake at 8:25 a.m. Japan time had a preliminary magnitude of 8.0, Japan and U.S. seismologists said.

The US Geological Survey later updated its measurement to 8.8 magnitude and the USGS said the quake occurred at a depth of 20.7 kilometres (13 miles).

The quake was centred about 119 kilometres (74 miles) east-southeast from the Russian city of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, which has a population of 180,000, on the Kamchatka Peninsula. Multiple aftershocks as strong as 6.9 magnitude were recorded.

The first tsunami wave hit the coastal area of Severo-Kurilsk, the main settlement on Russia’s Kuril Islands in the Pacific, according to the local governor Valery Limarenko. He said residents were safe and staying on high ground until the threat of a repeat wave was gone.

The quake caused damage to buildings and cars swayed in the streets in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, which also had power outages and mobile phone service failures. Russian news agencies quoting the regional Health Ministry saying several people sought medical help in Kamchatka after the earthquake, but no serious injuries were reported.

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