Latest 8.8 magnitude earthquake: Russian volcano erupts, tsunami hits California
A massive 8.8 magnitude earthquake struck off Russia’s Pacific coast, triggering tsunami warnings and evacuations along the Hawaiian coast, and alerts were also issued along the U.S. West Coast.
The powerful earthquake, which struck about 85 miles off the east coast of Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula, is one of the strongest ever recorded and the largest in the world since 2011 .
American influence
In the United States, the initial tsunami waves crashed onto the Hawaiian island of Oahu, forcing people to evacuate.
Authorities urged residents to leave beaches and low-lying areas for higher ground and to take shelter on at least the fourth floor of buildings. As part of a statewide warning system, sirens will sound every 10 minutes across the Hawaiian Islands for three hours before the projected impact.
Hawaii Governor Josh Green told reporters earlier Wednesday that the state “has not seen any serious consequences” and called it “a huge relief.”
Tsunami warnings were also issued for other parts of the U.S. Pacific – coastal areas of Alaska, Oregon, Washington and California – but those have now been lifted.
Tsunami waves were recorded overnight in Monterey and San Francisco, California, but did not cause serious problems.
In California, tsunami warnings were issued for Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties, as well as Los Angeles and Ventura counties.
Tsunami warnings were also issued for the U.S. territories of Guam and American Samoa, but have since been lifted.
Crescent City, located on the border of California and Oregon, has since lifted all tsunami warnings. It was the last area in the United States to do so on Wednesday morning. Local officials said waves peaked at about 3.5 feet (10 meters) high, and no casualties have been reported so far.
The earthquake also affected travel; Hawaiian Airlines and Alaska Airlines resumed flights Wednesday morning after suspending them due to tsunami warnings.
Tsunami warnings and alerts around the world
In Russia, a camera captured the eruption of Klyuchevskaya Sopka, the region’s highest peak, with hot lava flowing down its western slopes.
The earthquake triggered a tsunami warning across northern Japan, forcing the evacuation of more than 2 million people.
Japan’s Meteorological Agency warned that a tsunami of about 3 feet high was expected to hit Hokkaido. The agency later lowered the tsunami alert level to a lower level, but said people still needed to remain vigilant.
Elsewhere in the Pacific, French Polynesia, Samoa, the Solomon Islands, Fiji, the Marshall Islands, Kiribati, New Caledonia, the Cook Islands, Nauru, Australia and the Philippines issued varying levels of tsunami warnings, as well as advisories predicting strong currents and possible flooding, but these have now expired.
In Central and South America, tsunami warnings or alerts were issued for Chile, Peru, Ecuador, Costa Rica, Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador and Colombia.
ABC News’ William Gretzky, Anthony Trott, Mireya Villarreal, Tanya Stukalova, Clark Bentsen and Jessica Gorman contributed to this report.
Editor’s note: This article has been updated to correct a reference to data from the U.S. Geological Survey, which said Tuesday’s 8.8 magnitude earthquake was among the 10 strongest since 1900.
