A powerful earthquake measuring 8.7 on the Richter scale jolted Russia's Far Eastern Kamchatka Peninsula on Wednesday, triggering a tsunami with a wave height of 3 to 4 meters (10-13 feet).
The tsunami hit coastal areas of Russia's Kuril Islands and Japan's large northern island of Hokkaido, prompting massive evacuations.
Several buildings were damaged in the earthquake, but no injuries have been reported, according to preliminary reports.
A video shows the tsunami already reaching Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, Kamchatka, Russia, following the massive earthquake pic.twitter.com/G3mLFUk5dn
— Faytuks Network (@FaytuksNetwork) July 30, 2025
Kamchatka Governor Vladimir Solodov said the earthquake was the strongest in decades of tremors. Authorities have urged people to move away from the shoreline of the peninsula.
According to the US Geological Survey, the earthquake was shallow at a depth of 19.3 km, and was centred about 125 km east-southeast of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, a city along the coast of Avacha Bay, reported Reuters.
The US Tsunami Warning System has issued a warning of "hazardous tsunami waves" within the next three hours along some coasts of Russia, Japan and Hawaii.
Please be advised that there is a tsunami warning in effect for Hawaii. There is also a tsunami watch for Alaska and the west coast of the United States. Find high ground and stay safe.
— Homeland Security (@DHSgov) July 30, 2025
The Honolulu Department of Emergency Management called for the evacuation of some coastal areas in Hawaii.
The National Tsunami Warning Center, based in Alaska, has also issued a tsunami warning for parts of the Alaska Aleutian Islands, and a watch for portions of the West Coast, including California, Oregon, and Washington.
Indonesia's geophysics agency issued a warning that tsunami waves of less than 0.5 metre could hit some parts of Indonesia on Wednesday afternoon.
Russia's Far East, situated on the Pacific Ring of Fire, is a geologically active region and one of the world's most quake-prone areas.
Earlier in July, five powerful quakes, the largest with a magnitude of 7.4, struck in the sea near Kamchatka. The largest quake was at a depth of 20 kilometers and was 144 kilometers east of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky.
