A powerful earthquake struck off the coast of the Kamchatka peninsula in Russia's far east on Wednesday morning, triggering tsunami warnings in Japan and the US island of Hawaii.
The United States Geological Survey (USGS) said the magnitude-8.8 tremor struck at a shallow depth of 19.3 km (12 miles).
Japan's Meteorological Agency (JMA) issued a tsunami warning, with waves of up to 3 meters (nearly 10 feet) possible in areas along Japan's east and northeast coast.
"A tsunami advisory has been issued as of 08:37 (2337 GMT) on July 30," the JMA said on X, adding that "tsunamis will strike repeatedly. Do not enter the sea or approach the coast until the warning is lifted."
"Tsunami waves are approaching the coasts. Evacuate as quickly as possible," the JMA said in a separate update.
Kamchatka's regional minister for emergency situations, Sergei Lebedev, warned that a tsunami of between 3-4 meters was recorded in parts of Kamchatka, as he urged residents to move away from the peninsula's shoreline.
First tsunami waves reach Russian, Japanese shores
Tsunami waves have reached coastal areas in Russia's Kuril Islands as well as Japan's northernmost large island of Hokkaido, authorities said.
Local governor Valery Limarenko said the first tsunami wave had struck the coast of Severo-Kurilsk, the main settlement on the Pacific archipelago.
Russia's emergencies ministry said the town, which is home to about 2,000 people, was flooded by the waves.
Residents have been urged to remain on high ground until the threat of repeat waves has passed.
The JMA, meanwhile, said a first wave of about 30 centimeters (1 foot) had reached the town of Nemuro, on Hokkaido's east coast.
Warnings issued across the Pacific
A tsunami warning has also been issued for the US state of Hawaii. Authorities in Honolulu have called for people to evacuate from coastal areas as it said "destructive" waves were expected.
Authorities in California issued a tsunami watch for sections of the central coastline, including San Francisco. A lower-level tsunami advisory is in effect for the entire US Pacific coast.
The massive quake also triggered warnings of waves possibly hitting the coast of Ecuador and Chile along South America's west coast, according to the US Pacific Tsunami Warning Center.
What else do we know about the earthquake?
The earthquake struck approximately 250 kilometers (160 miles) away from Hokkaido, Japan's northernmost of its four big islands, according to Japanese public broadcaster NHK.
The governor of Kamchatka, Vladimir Solodov, said in a video posted on Telegram that the "earthquake was serious and the strongest in decades."
He said there were no serious injuries reported, but that a kindergarten had sustained damage.
The governor of Sakhalin, an island across the Sea of Okhotsk from Kamchatka, said an evacuation order had been declared for the town of Severo-Kurilsk.
Kamchatka, Russia's Far East and Japan sit on the so-called Pacific Ring of Fire, a region known for its high levels of seismic activity that is prone to large earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.
In March 2011, a magnitude-9 earthquake struck off the coast of Japan, triggering a tsunami which led to a major meltdown at the Fukushima nuclear power plant.
Japan's Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi said no irregularities had been detected at the facility after Wednesday's quake. But workers at the plant have been evacuated, the Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) said.
