8.8-magnitude earthquake causes tsunami in Russia, Japan

July 30, 2025 / 10:20 AM

Sharjah 24 – WAM: One of the world's strongest earthquakes struck Russia's Far East early Wednesday, an 8.8-magnitude temblor that caused a tsunami in the northern Pacific region and prompted warnings for Alaska, Hawaii and other coasts south toward New Zealand. Several locations advised evacuations, but no major injuries have been reported.

Cars jammed streets and highways in Honolulu as the tsunami alerts coincided with the Tuesday afternoon rush-hour. Warning sirens blared as people moved to higher ground. Hawaii schools cancelled after-school and evening activities.

A tsunami of 50 centimetres (1.6 feet) was detected at the Ishinomaki port in northern Japan, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency. That was the highest measurement so far among several locations around northern Japan.

The Russian areas nearest the quake’s epicentre on the Kamchatka Peninsula reported damage and evacuations, but no serious injuries.

Hawaii and Oregon warn residents of potential damage.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre said a tsunami had been generated by the quake that could cause damage along the coastlines of all the Hawaiian islands.

The quake at 8:25 am Japan time had a preliminary magnitude of 8.0, Japan and US seismologists said. The US Geological Survey later updated its measurement to 8.8 magnitude, and the USGS said the quake occurred at a depth of 20.7 kilometres (13 miles).

The quake was centred about 119 kilometres (74 miles) east-southeast from the Russian city of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, which has a population of 180,000, on the Kamchatka Peninsula. Multiple aftershocks as strong as 6.9 magnitude were recorded.