Moscow: After a massive 8.8 earthquake struck Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula, additional tsunami warnings have also been issued in China, Peru, and Ecuador.
Early Wednesday morning, a massive earthquake struck far-east Russia, triggering tsunami warnings for Russia, Japan, the United States, Australia, New Zealand, and the Pacific Islands.
In China, tsunami waves are expected to hit parts of eastern China. As per the Ministry of National Resources, the waves are expected to reach a height of 30 cm to one metre.
“Based on the latest warning and analysis results, the Tsunami Advisory Center of the Ministry of National Resources has determined that the earthquake has triggered a tsunami, which is expected to cause damage to certain coastal areas of China,” read the advisory.
In Peru, the Navy has issued a tsunami alert for the coast. “After an analysis and evaluation by the National Tsunami Warning Center, it has been determined that this event generates a tsunami warning for the Peruvian coast,” read the official statement from the Directorate of Hydrography and Navigation of the Peruvian Navy.
In Ecuador, “preventive evacuations” have been called for the Galapagos Islands.
“A tsunami warning has been established for the Insular Region (Galapagos), which indicates the immediate suspension of maritime activities, as well as preventive evacuations of beaches, docks, and low-lying areas,” Ecuador’s Secretariat for Risk Management said.
With a series of tsunami warnings in place, US states such as Japan and Hawaii, and Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula face the greatest threat of strong waves caused due to the tremors.
Wednesday’s earthquake is also the strongest to hit the world in 14 years. The 2025 Kamchatka earthquake comes after the 2011 Japan earthquake.
In 2011, a magnitude 9.1 earthquake in the Pacific Ocean triggered tsunami waves that may have reached heights of up to 40.5 meters.
In the US, the Hawaiian government has activated its emergency response plane and is working to evacuate residents, moving them to higher ground. Tsunami warning sirens have also been reportedly blaring across Honolulu, according to the Associated Press.
In Japan, the first Tsunami waves started arriving at the coastal town of Hokkaido, in Japan’s northeast, at around 10:40 local time. As per Japan’s public broadcaster, NHK, the initial waves were around 30cm.
