A massive magnitude 8.8 earthquake struck off the coast of Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula on Wednesday, July 30, prompting widespread tsunami warnings that extended across the Pacific, including Japan, Hawaii, Chile, Philippines and French Polynesia.
The shallow quake caused damage to buildings and left several people injured in Russia’s Far Eastern region. Authorities ordered evacuations in parts of eastern Japan and Hawaii, both of which later downgraded their tsunami alerts as wave threats diminished. The same warnings were eventually lifted in many other affected areas.
In French Polynesia, however, officials ordered residents of some Marquesas Islands to move to higher ground. Waves as high as 2.5 meters were expected, with initial surges already reaching Nuku Hiva, the largest island in the group. Local authorities reported that five to ten additional waves were anticipated.
The United States Geological Survey recorded the quake’s depth at 19.3 kilometers and located the epicenter 119 kilometers southeast of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, a city of about 165,000 people. Residents described intense shaking lasting up to three minutes. “It felt like the walls could collapse any moment,” said Yaroslav, a 25-year-old resident.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed there were no fatalities in Russia, crediting sturdy infrastructure and effective alert systems. In Severo-Kurilsk, tsunami waves reached heights of up to 5 meters, causing flooding in the port area and damaging a fish processing plant. Verified drone footage showed the shoreline completely submerged.
Hours after the quake, the Klyuchevskoy volcano, located about 450 kilometers north of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, began erupting. Lava flowed down its western slope accompanied by explosions and glowing clouds, according to Russia’s United Geophysical Service.
Elsewhere in the Pacific, waves of up to 1.7 meters reached Hawaii, and 1.3 meters were recorded in Japan. California and British Columbia experienced wave heights under half a meter, and tsunami advisories in those areas were later lifted. Ecuador’s Galapagos Islands also issued precautionary evacuations.
In Japan, tsunami alarms sounded across coastal towns, and thousands were evacuated. Workers at the Fukushima nuclear plant were temporarily moved as a precaution, but no damage or irregularities were reported, according to Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi.
Kamchatka sits along the Pacific Ring of Fire, a highly active seismic zone. Scientists confirmed the quake occurred along a megathrust fault where the Pacific Plate is sliding beneath the North American Plate. They also warned that more aftershocks could follow.
In a remarkable video from Kamchatka’s health ministry, medics were seen continuing a surgery as the quake struck, stabilizing the patient and medical instruments with their hands inside a shaking operating room.
