Tsunami warnings trigger mass evacuations in Hawaii, Japan, and Russia after 8.8-magnitude earthquake - VIDEO
An 8.8-magnitude earthquake off Russia’s Far East early Wednesday has triggered widespread tsunami warnings across the Pacific, prompting large-scale evacuations in Russia, Japan, Hawaii, and other coastal areas.
The US Geological Survey reported that the quake struck near the Kamchatka Peninsula, raising fears of tsunami waves reaching up to 13 feet (4 meters). Authorities from Alaska to the U.S. West Coast have urged coastal residents to move to higher ground as a precaution, News.Az reports, citing foreign media.
‼Residents of American #Hawaii flee inland to escape #tsunami pic.twitter.com/SV2XaWosUl
— News.Az (@news_az) July 30, 2025
Kamchatka Governor Vladimir Solodov called the tremor “the strongest in decades,” confirming damage to a kindergarten but no immediate casualties. Severo-Kurilsk, a remote town near Kamchatka, was among the hardest-hit areas, while Sakhalin Governor Valery Limarenko ordered evacuations in vulnerable coastal zones.
Japan’s Meteorological Agency issued a tsunami warning for the eastern coastline, with expected waves of up to 10 feet (3 meters). Evacuation orders were issued in several towns and cities. Workers at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, previously impacted by the 2011 disaster, were also evacuated as a precaution. Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) confirmed there were no abnormalities detected at the plant.
In Hawaii, the Honolulu Department of Emergency Management ordered residents in tsunami evacuation zones to leave immediately. Sirens were sounded across Honolulu, Oʻahu, and Hanalei (Kauai) as officials warned of potentially “destructive tsunami waves.”
Authorities across the Pacific Basin remain on high alert as aftershocks continue to follow the massive quake.
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