A powerful 8.7-magnitude earthquake off Russia’s far east on Wednesday (Jul 30) has prompted tsunami alerts across parts of the Pacific, including Japan, Hawaii, Russia and Ecuador, and warnings along the California coast.
The quake, which struck off Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula, sparked tsunami warnings and evacuation alerts across most of Japan’s east coast.
The Japan Weather Agency upgraded an earlier tsunami advisory to a tsunami warning, saying it expected waves as high as 3m to reach large coastal areas starting around 0100 GMT (9am Singapore time).
Broadcaster NHK said evacuation orders had been issued by the government for areas along Japan’s Pacific coast from Hokkaido to Wakayama.
The weather agency, which earlier expected waves of up to 1m, warned that “tsunamis will strike repeatedly”.
“Do not enter the sea or approach the coast until the warning is lifted,” it said.
The quake occurred at 8.25am local time (7.25am Singapore time).
It was about 250km away from Hokkaido, Japan’s northernmost of the country’s four big islands, and was felt only slightly, according to Japan’s NHK television.
A University of Tokyo seismologist Shinichi Sakai told NHK that a distant earthquake could cause a tsunami that affects Japan if its epicentre is shallow.
Japan, part of the area known as the Pacific ring of fire, is one of the world’s most quake-prone country.
Some train services were suspended by East Japan Railway, said the Kyodo news agency.
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