8.8 magnitude earthquake strikes off Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula, Japan issues tsunami warning

An 8.8 magnitude earthquake struck off the eastern coast of the Kamchatka Peninsula, Russia, early on Wednesday (July 30). The earthquake occurred at approximately 06:24 AM Japan Standard Time (JST), which is 2 hours ahead of Thailand time.

In response, the Japan Meteorological Agency issued a tsunami warning for the Pacific coastline of Japan, extending from Hokkaido to Kyushu.

According to the United States Geological Survey (USGS), the earthquake occurred at a depth of 19.3 kilometres, with a magnitude of 8.0. Initial reports indicate that Japan, Alaska, Hawaii, and Guam are all under tsunami warnings.

USGS later provided additional details, stating that the epicentre of the earthquake was located about 125 kilometres southeast of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, a city with a population of 165,000 people. The earthquake's magnitude was revised from 8.0 to 8.8.

Reuters reported that the 8.8 magnitude earthquake struck off the Kamchatka Peninsula in Russia's Far East on Wednesday, triggering tsunami waves up to 4 metres high. Authorities were forced to evacuate residents, and significant damage occurred to buildings and homes.

Sergey Lebedev, the Minister for Emergency Situations in the Kamchatka region, stated that tsunami waves of 3-4 metres hit certain areas of the peninsula, and residents were urged to evacuate from the coastline.

The Japan Meteorological Agency raised its warning level, predicting that tsunami waves of up to 3 metres would impact the coastline, starting around 10:00 AM Japan Standard Time.

The Kamchatka Peninsula and Russia’s Far East are located on the Pacific Ring of Fire, a region known for intense geological activity, including frequent strong earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.