Russia jolted by powerful 8.8-magnitude earthquake, strongest world has seen since 2011

“This earthquake was serious and the strongest in decades of tremors,” Kamchatka Governor Vladimir Solodov said in a statement posted to the Telegram messaging app.

Notable quake, preliminary info: M 8.0 – 136 km ESE of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, Russia https://t.co/pecsU8xcSy

— USGS Earthquakes (@USGS_Quakes) July 29, 2025

Tsunami waves of 3 to 4 meters (10 to 13 feet) were recorded in parts of Kamchatka, according to Sergei Lebedev, the regional minister for emergency situations. Authorities urged residents to move away from the shoreline as a precaution.

The earthquake was the strongest anywhere in the world since the March 2011 earthquake off northeast Japan that measured 9.0 magnitude and caused a massive tsunami that set off meltdowns at a Fukushima nuclear power plant.

Injuries were reported in the Russian Far East, though no fatalities have been confirmed. “Unfortunately, there are some people injured during the seismic event. Some were hurt while running outside, and one patient jumped out of a window. A woman was also injured inside the new airport terminal,” Oleg Melnikov, the regional health minister, told TASS, the Russian state news agency. He added that all patients were in satisfactory condition.

Russia’s Ministry for Emergency Services reported partial flooding at a port and a fish processing plant in Severo-Kurilsk, a town on the island of Sakhalin. A kindergarten was also damaged, though most buildings withstood the tremor. Authorities said the town’s population was evacuated.

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Japan’s Meteorological Agency issued tsunami warnings for large parts of the country’s eastern seaboard and said it expected waves of up to three meters (10 feet) to reach coastal areas starting around 0100 GMT. Japan’s northern island of Hokkaido saw evacuations, with local television footage showing residents gathered on rooftops under tents. Fishing boats were seen leaving harbours to avoid potential damage.

Workers at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, the site of a major meltdown following a 2011 tsunami, were evacuated as a precaution, plant operator TEPCO said. No irregularities were reported at the plant or any other nuclear facility, according to Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi.

Across the Pacific, the US Tsunami Warning System issued alerts for several countries. Waves exceeding three meters were possible along some parts of Russia and Ecuador, with 1 to 3 meter waves anticipated in Japan, Hawaii, Chile, and the Solomon Islands. Smaller waves were projected for other Pacific coastlines, including the western United States.

“Due to a massive earthquake that occurred in the Pacific Ocean, a Tsunami Warning is in effect for those living in Hawaii,” US President Donald Trump said in a social media post. “A Tsunami Watch is in effect for Alaska and the Pacific Coast of the United States. Japan is also in the way.”

Authorities in Hawaii ordered evacuations in low-lying areas. “Take Action! Destructive tsunami waves expected,” read a warning from the Honolulu Department of Emergency Management. Officials advised residents to move to higher ground or, if necessary, to the upper floors of sturdy buildings.

The Russian Academy of Sciences described the quake as the most powerful to hit the Kamchatka region since 1952. However, experts noted that the intensity of ground shaking was somewhat mitigated by characteristics of the quake’s epicentre.

“Due to certain characteristics of the epicentre, the shaking intensity was not as high … as one might expect from such a magnitude,” Danila Chebrov, director of the Kamchatka Branch of the Geophysical Service, said on Telegram.

He added that aftershocks were continuing. “Their intensity will remain fairly high. However, stronger tremors are not expected in the near future. The situation is under control.”