UPDATED
Tsunami threat remains for Russia after quake off Kuril Islands
3/25/2020
(Reuters) - Residents in the northern part of Russia's Kuril Islands remain under threat from tsunami after a 7.5 magnitude earthquake struck off the coast, but emergency services reported small waves and no casualties or damage.

Meteorological authorities in Japan issued no tsunami alerts while U.S. authorities canceled a warning for Hawaii after the earthquake hit near the Kurils, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Sea of Okhotsk.

"A tsunami wave arrived in Severo-Kurilsk at 1515 Sakhalin [region] time (0415 GMT)," Russia's emergency services said. "The wave height was about 50 cm (20 inches)."

Residents will remain in a safe zone on higher ground, the emergency services said, while the tsunami threat remains, adding a decision to cancel the alarm will be made by specialists after the low tide starts.

The U.S Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said the country's West Coast, Alaska and Canada's British Columbia didn't face any tsunami danger from the quake.

Some of the U.S. coastal areas may experience non-damaging sea level changes, the agency added.

The Japan Meteorological Association also said there might be slight tidal changes but said no warnings or even watch advisories had been issued.

The earthquake, 218 km (135 miles) south-southeast of the town of Severo-Kurilsk, struck at a depth of 56.7 km (35 miles), the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) said.

The USGS had initially said the quake measured 7.8, but revised that figure down to 7.5.

There were no immediate reports of damage or casualties.

(Reporting by Shubham Kalia in Bengaluru and Alexander Marrow in Moscow; Editing by Clarence Fernandez and Gerry Doyle)

Earthquake off Russia's Kuril Islands prompts tsunami warning
dw.com
3/25/2020 
A magnitude 7.5 earthquake has hit off the coast of the Kuril Islands, in eastern Russia. The US Geological Survey has warned the event could "generate a destructive tsunami" in the North Pacific.  

© Getty Images/AFP/K. Nogi Provided by Deutsche Welle

An earthquake measuring 7.5 on the Richter scale struck off the coast of Kuril Islands in the far east of Russia on Wednesday, triggering a tsunami warning for the nearby shores. There is an ongoing investigation to determine the threat.

Tsunami Watch issued for Hawaii after a 7.8M earthquake near the Kuril Islands, east of Russia. pic.twitter.com/9MHC010Qng— Ricky Matthews (@wxrjm) March 25, 2020

According to the United States Geological Survey the earthquake hit a depth of 59 kilometres (37 miles), around 1,400 kilometres (around 850 miles) northeast of the Japanese city of Sapporo.

"This earthquake has the potential to generate a destructive tsunami in the source region," the US Tsunami Warning Center said, adding that it was "analyzing the event to determine the level of danger".

A tsunami watch alert was also issued for Hawaii, but was canceled shortly afterward.