A massive 8.7-magnitude earthquake off Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula has set off tsunami warnings across the Pacific, affecting regions from Japan and Hawaii to South America’s western coast and the U.S. mainland, authorities confirmed late Tuesday.
The U.S. Pacific Tsunami Warning Center (PTWC) in Honolulu said waves as high as 3 meters (10 feet) could strike parts of Russia, Hawaii, Ecuador, and Chile.
The U.S. also issued multiple tsunami alerts along its western coastline, stretching from Alaska to California.
Japan’s Meteorological Agency raised its tsunami advisory early Wednesday, following an updated assessment of the quake’s strength by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), which revised the magnitude from 8.0 to 8.7.
The agency warned that tsunami waves could repeatedly strike coastal areas, urging residents to stay away from the sea until the alert is lifted.
NHK, Japan’s public broadcaster, reported that waves up to 1 meter were expected to hit between 10:00 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. local time.
Alerts have also been sent to Guam and residents along California’s coast, with local authorities warning of possible hazardous conditions.
“Tsunami waves exceeding 3 meters above tide levels are possible along parts of the northwestern Hawaiian islands and Russian coasts,” PTWC stated.
The quake was followed by at least six aftershocks, including tremors measuring 6.9 and 6.3.
The epicenter is near the site of a catastrophic 9.0-magnitude earthquake in 1952 that generated a devastating Pacific-wide tsunami, the USGS noted.