Moscow (AFP) – Russia lifted a tsunami alert on Wednesday after a massive quake and tsunami largely spared the country's sparsely populated far east from casualties and major damage.
Issued on: 30/07/2025 - FRANCE24
An 8.8 magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of Russia's far eastern Kamchatka peninsula earlier, prompting evacuations and tsunami alerts across parts of the Pacific coast.
Russian state television on Wednesday aired footage of a tsunami wave sweeping through Severo-Kurilsk, a coastal town on an island close to Japan, carrying buildings and debris into the sea.
Giant waves crashed through the port area and submerged a fishing plant in the town of about 2,000 people, some 350 kilometres (217 miles) southwest of the earthquake's underwater epicentre, according to authorities.
The epicentre was 47 kilometres (30 miles) beneath the sea level and sent shock waves at a range of 300 kilometres (200 miles), Russia's geophysical survey told state news agency RIA Novosti.
The waves, which were up to four metres high in some areas, reached as far as the town's World War II monument about 400 metres (1,312 feet) from the shoreline, according to mayor Alexander Ovsyannikov.
Most of the town lies on higher ground safe from flooding, he added.
"Everyone was evacuated. There was enough time, a whole hour. So everyone was evacuated, all the people are in the tsunami safety zone," he said at a crisis meeting with officials earlier.
A tsunami warning for Kamchatka was lifted later on Wednesday.
'Everyone acted quickly'
"Thank God, there were no casualties," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters, saying the region's warning system had helped.
CCTV footage released by the Kamchatka region's health minister, Oleg Melnikov, showed surgeons holding down a patient on an operating table when the earthquake rocked the area.
Regional governor Vladimir Solodov said on Telegram he would nominate the doctors for state awards, adding: "Such courage deserves the highest praise."
An expedition group from the Russian Geographical Society was on the Kuril island of Shumshu when the tsunami swept away their tent camp.
"When the wave hit, all we could do was run to higher ground. It's very difficult to do that in boots on slippery grass and in fog," group member Vera Kostamo told Russian tabloid Komsomolskaya Pravda.
"All the tents and structures were swept away by the wave, and our belongings were scattered across the beach for hundreds of metres.
"We have no casualties, everyone acted quickly, but we lost all our belongings."
Authorities in the Sakhalin region, which includes the northern Kuril Islands, declared a state of emergency.
The regional seismic monitoring service said the earthquake was the region's strongest since 1952.
"Strong aftershocks with a magnitude of up to 7.5 should be expected," it added.
© 2025 AFP
Issued on: 30/07/2025 - FRANCE24
A powerful magnitude 8.8 earthquake struck off Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula on July 30, 2025, triggering tsunami warnings across the Pacific rim—including Japan, Hawaii, Alaska, and several Central and South American countries. While initial alerts led to evacuations, many were later downgraded after no major damage was reported. Monitoring continues due to potential aftershocks.
USCG Reopens All Harbors in Hawai After Tsunami Advisory
[By USCG]
The Coast Guard Captain of the Port Honolulu reopened all commercial harbors in the Hawaiian Islands following the end of the tsunami advisory Wednesday.
Coast Guard crews including an HC-130 Hercules airplane crew from Air Station Barbers Point conducted port assessments and overflights of harbors, waterways, and aids to navigation throughout the Hawaiian Islands.
No observable hazards or pollution were reported.
“The safety of all mariners has been our top priority throughout the tsunami warning in Hawaii,” said Capt. Nicholas Worst, commander of Coast Guard Sector Honolulu and Captain of the Port Honolulu. “While the ports are now fully reopened to maritime traffic, we are working continuously with our federal, state, local agency, and industry partners to assess any potential hazards and keep commerce flowing safely. Strong teamwork with our partners helps safeguard the maritime transportation system, which facilitates the delivery of over 98% of Hawaii’s goods.”
The Coast Guard is urging all mariners to proceed with caution due to the potential for shoaling and unmarked hazards. Vessels and facilities should immediately report any dangerous situations or navigation discrepancies to the Sector Honolulu command center at (808) 842-2600.
The products and services herein described in this press release are not endorsed by The Maritime Executive.
Major Earthquake Off Kamchatka Prompts Tsunami Warnings Around the Pacific
A massive magnitude 8.8 earthquake shook the seabed off the Kamchatka Peninsula in the early hours of Wednesday morning, and officials around the Pacific have responded with tsunami warnings for shoreside communities.
In far northern Japan, at the port of Ishinomaki, a minor tsunami of about 1.5 feet in height was observed Wednesday. More than one wave was noted, as is typical for the ripple effects from a major subsea earthquake. Tsunamis and quakes are taken seriously in Japan, and officials advised evacuation for more than 100 towns up and down the nation's eastern shorelines.
Small tsunami waves of less than one foot came ashore in the eastern Aleutian Islands and were observed in Adak, according to the AP. No significant impacts were reported. In Hawaii, a tsunami warning and evacuation order were in effect Tuesday evening, and U.S. Coast Guard Oceania ordered all commercial vessels out of all Hawaiian harbors as a precautionary measure.
Even in New Zealand, far on the other side of the equator, officials have warned of potentially serious effects on currents in coastal waters. The public has been cautioned to stay clear of the waterfront when the waves begin to arrive.
In Kamchatka, nearest the epicenter, minor damage and power outages occurred in the regional capital of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky from the effects of the quake, and several injuries were reported. The quake was among the strongest ever recorded, but it was about 75 miles off the coast and was too remote to cause major direct damage. Tsunami waves of up to about 13 feet were reported in some parts of the peninsula, resulting in localized flooding but no reported fatalities.
The Kamchatka quake registered in at 8.8 on the Richter scale, powerful enough to tie for sixth place on the all-time list of the most powerful earthquakes on record. Kamchatka is known for seismic activity, and the fifth quake on the list was also in the province - the 1952 Severo-Kurilsk earthquake, a magnitude 9.0 giant that caused a major tsunami event. Multiple waves of up to 60 feet high hit the small fishing port of Severo-Kurilsk in the Kuril Islands, killing more than 2,000 people and obliterating the town.
The port was hit hard again in Tuesday's quake, based on footage circulating online. Waterfront facilities in Severo-Kurilsk appear to have been inundated by at least one high wave.
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