• No casualties reported in Russia; Klyuchevskoy volcano erupts post-quake
• Warnings downgraded after high waves strike Russian islands
• Japan and Hawaii evacuate coastal areas; Coastal Chile, Galapagos Islands evacuated

KAMCHATKA COAST: A very powerful magnitude 8.8 earthquake off Russia’s Far Eastern Kamchatka coast, which triggered tsunami warnings as far away as French Polynesia, Chile, Hawaii, Peru and California on Wednesday, was followed by an eruption of the most active volcano on the peninsula.

The shallow quake damaged buildings and injured several people in the remote Russian region, while much of Japan’s eastern seaboard - badly damaged by a 9.0 magnitude earthquake and tsunami in 2011 - was ordered to evacuate, as were parts of Hawaii.

But by the evening, Japan, Hawaii, Russia and California had downgraded most of their tsunami warnings. But authorities in French Polynesia warned residents of several of the remote Marquesas Islands to move to higher ground and expect waves as high as 2.5 metres (8 feet).

Meanwhile, authorities ordered evacuations on Ecuador and Chile’s Pacific islands, after the massive earthquake.

Residents and tourists on Chile’s Easter Island evacuated to a church on higher ground.

In Ecuador’s Galapagos Islands, the government ordered that people living in vulnerable coastal areas make their way to safe zones.

‘No casualties in Russia’

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said there had been no casualties in Russia from the quake, crediting solid building construction and the smooth working of alert systems.

In Severo-Kurilsk in the northern Kuril Islands, south of Kamchatka, tsunami waves exceeded 3 metres, with the largest up to 5 metres, Russia’s RIA news agency reported.

According to AFP, Peru closed 65 of its 121 Pacific ports as a tsunami alert was issued following a massive 8.8-magnitude earthquake off the east coast of Russia.

The Navy recommended suspending port and fishing activities and urged people to stay away from the ocean.

The Klyuchevskoy volcano on Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula began erupting later, a geological monitoring service said.

Waves in Hawaii, Japan

Hawaii recorded waves of up to 1.7 metres while in Japan the largest recorded came to 1.3 metres, officials said.

Flights out of Honolulu airport resumed in the evening, the transportation department said.

Waves of nearly half a metre were observed as far away as California, with smaller ones reaching Canada’s province of British Columbia, reports Reuters.

Armed forces on alert

In French Polynesia, waves started to hit some islands in the early morning hours of Wednesday. In other parts, wave heights were expected to remain below 30 cm, not requiring evacuation or sheltering.

“Our armed forces in French Polynesia are on alert as a precautionary measure, to be ready to assist our fellow citizens and state services in potential search and rescue operations or medical evacuations,” French Defence Minister Sebastien Lecornu said on the social media platform X.

‘Ring of fire’

The quake occurred on what is known as a “megathrust fault” where the denser Pacific Plate is sliding underneath the lighter North American Plate, according to scientists.

They said Kamchatka and Russia’s Far East sit on the Pacific Ring of Fire, a geologically active region that is prone to earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.

Published in Dawn, July 31st, 2025