8.8 magnitude earthquake in Russia triggers tsunami alerts across Pacific, reaches Hawaii

A massive 8.8 earthquake, recorded as one of the 10 biggest ever, struck Russia's Far East at 8:24 a.m, early Wednesday, triggering a tsunami in the northern Pacific. This prompted high alerts from Alaska and Hawaii to coastal regions as far south as New Zealand. 

Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula has faced the strongest damage since 1952, being close to the quake’s epicenter but no major injuries were recorded.  The initial tsunami wave struck Severo-Kurilsk, the primary town in Russia. In Japan, 1.9 million people have been told to evacuate and a tsunami wave of 4.3ft has reached the northern Iwate prefecture. Japanese nuclear plants reported no safety issues. The transport lines have however been majorly disrupted.

The US National Weather Service’s Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre issued an alert for Hawaii asking people to evacuate. The tallest waves, about 4ft, have been recorded on the coast of Oahu. Hawaii Governor Josh Green says, “Urgent action should be taken to protect lives and property.” However the ramifications of it have not been severe and water has been seen to recede significantly.  

US President Trump has issued a tsunami advisory in response to the quake. Tsunami alerts of varying levels have also been issued in parts of China, Philippines, Indonesia, Peru.