Japan lifts tsunami warnings as some Pacific islands begin evacuations after massive earthquake

Local authorities in French Polynesia lifted the tsunami alert for the Marquesas Islands and said people could return to their homes, but advised residents to remain cautious.

Tsunami waves began hitting the archipelago early on Wednesday, but were reportedly smaller than initially feared.

The High Commission of the Republic in French Polynesia said waves reached heights of 1.5 metres, lower than the four metres the government told the public to prepare for.

There are 15 islands in the Marquesas archipelago, home to more than 9,300 people, and it is one of the five administrative divisions of French Polynesia.

The five archipelagos that make up French Polynesia comprise 118 islands and are among the most remote places on earth.

Authorities in Ecuador and Chile's Pacific islands have ordered evacuations of coastal regions after Wednesday morning’s 8.8 magnitude earthquake sparked tsunami warnings across the Pacific.

Residents and tourists on Chile's Easter Island moved to a church on higher ground, while evacuations started along the mainland’s Pacific coast.

Meanwhile, in Ecuador's Galápagos Islands, which are around 970 km west of the mainland, authorities ordered people living in coastal areas to move to safe zones that have been set up by the country's emergency management agency.

Authorities in Peru have closed 65 of the country’s 125 Pacific ports following a tsunami warning.

Several roads have also been closed near to a beach in the capital Lima.

The national emergency centre said waves are expected to hit northern, central and southern ports beginning around 10:10 local time (17:10CET). 

France's President Emmanuel Macron has put out a statement on X, saying that all government services have been mobilised in French Polynesia as tsunami waves are approaching the islands.

"All state services are mobilised to protect our fellow citizens. I call for vigilance: follow the instructions of local authorities," he said in his post.

"All my support to the Marquesans and all our compatriots in the Pacific."

Macron's statement comes hours after authorities in French Polynesia issued warnings to the public of several of the Marquesas Islands to prepare for four-metre tsunami waves.

Officials in Colombia have ordered the complete closure and evacuation of beaches and low-tide areas along the country’s Pacific coast.

Maritime traffic is also being restricted.

Officials say strong currents and tsunami waves were possible in two coastal states, including one that borders Ecuador.

Tsunami waves reached coastal areas of Japan, Russia and Hawaii on Wednesday after a powerful 8.8-magnitude earthquake struck off Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula.

Video. Tsunami waves reach Japan and Hawaii after 8.8 quake off Russia

Video. Tsunami waves reached coastal areas of Japan, Russia and Hawaii on Wednesday after a powerful 8.8-magnitude earthquake struck off Russia’s Kamchatka……

US Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem said the threat of a major tsunami hitting the United States "has passed completely."

Noem, speaking in Chile where she is attending meetings with officials, told reporters in the capital, Santiago: "We're in really good shape right now. We were fully deployed and ready to respond if necessary, but grateful that we didn’t have to deal with the situation that this could have been."

One of the strongest earthquakes in decades struck Russia’s Far East on Wednesday, sending tsunami waves across the Pacific and forcing evacuations in several affected regions.

Video. Russia’s Far East rocked by major quake, tsunami alerts issued

Video. One of the strongest earthquakes in decades struck Russia’s Far East on Wednesday, sending tsunami waves across the Pacific and forcing evacuations……

Chile has upgraded its tsunami warning to its highest level.

The red alert covers most of its 6,400-kilometre Pacific coastline, from Arica and Parinacota near its northern border to Magallanes in the far south.

The Education Ministry also cancelled classes in communities along much of the coast.

Several island countries in the South Pacific region have downgraded their tsunami warnings.

In a statement, officials in Tonga said the tsunami alert had been cancelled as "the potential threat to all island groups has passed."

Fiji said its tsunami advisory had also been cancelled, with the government giving citizens there the "all clear."

"Communities may now resume normal activities," it said, but urged people to "remain alert."

The Cook Islands said its tsunami advisory had been dropped, saying there is "no longer a tsunami threat."

Meanwhile, the Disaster Management Office in Samoa said in a social media post that its tsunami watch remains in place, due to "wave activity and strong coastal currents" in some areas.

Authorities have advised the public to stay clear of coastal areas.

Officials warned people to stay away from beaches and waterways in Crescent City, California, which has observed dozens of tsunamis since the 1930s, including one that killed 11 people and destroyed hundreds of buildings in 1964.

The US National Weather Service's Eureka office reported tsunami waves with a maximum height of 1.1 metres in Crescent City, high enough to create minor coastal flooding.

The 1964 event, considered the worst tsunami disaster recorded in the United States, began with a 9.2 magnitude earthquake in Alaska, according to the Crescent City website.

Three smaller waves caused little damage, but then a big wave of more than six metres, devastated 29 city blocks and killed 11 people.

The city's downtown was mostly rebuilt and today a walking tour highlights high-water marks posted on surviving buildings, objects pushed by waves and memorials to those who died.

Large waves caused water levels to rise across Japan after a massive 8.8 magnitude earthquake off Russia's Far East triggered a tsunami warning across the Pacific.

Waves of more than 1.22 metres were recorded by domestic media at Kuji port in the northern Iwate Prefecture, with video footage showing water swelling.

Authorities said that a tsunami as high as 60 centimetres had been detected as swell moved south along the Pacific coast from Hokkaido to Tokyo Bay. Officials warned that larger waves could still come.

Watch: High waves hit Japan after Russia earthquake triggers tsunami

Nearly 2 million people were asked to evacuate on Wednesday as Japanese authorities warned that waves could remain high for at least a day.…

The Klyuchevskoy volcano, one of several on Russia's far eastern Kamchatka Peninsula, has started erupting after Wednesday's magnitude 8.8 earthquake in the Pacific.

That's according to the state news agency RIA.

Observers heard explosions and saw streams of lava on the volcano's western slopes, the Kamchatka branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences' geophysical service said.

Scientists have anticipated an eruption, with the volcano's crater filling with lava for several weeks and the mountain spitting out plumes of ash.

Sometimes described as the "land of fire and ice," Kamchatka is one of the most active volcanic regions in the world. It has about 300 volcanoes, of which 29 are active, according to NASA Earth Observatory. 

Japan's Meteorological Agency has removed all tsunami warnings that were in place across the country, downgrading them to advisories.

But tsunami advisories remain in place for the Pacific coast region.

Initial reports indicate there has been "no safety impact for nuclear power plants along the Pacific coast," the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has said.

The UN atomic energy agency says it is in contact with authorities in Japan about the earthquake and resulting tsunami.

Authorities there were on high alert after the magnitude 8.8 earthquake struck off Russia, with workers at the Fukushima Daiichi and Daini plants ordered to evacuate.

The Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant was severely damaged following a magnitude 9.1 earthquake and tsunami that hit Japan in 2011.

Flights have restarted at Daniel K. Inouye International Airport in Hawaii, the state's transportation department said.

The Hawaiian Emergency Management Agency (EMA) said that commercial harbours are also set to reopen.

It comes after Hawaii downgraded its tsunami warning and the Oahu Emergency Management Agency lifted evacuation orders, saying it was safe for people to return to previously evacuated areas.

The EMA said there was "no report of big damage."

Authorities on Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula and the Kuril Islands have cancelled their tsunami warnings, but say the risk of aftershocks and waves remains.

The regional branch of Russia's Emergency Ministry on Kamchatka warned that scientists expect aftershocks at magnitudes of up to 7.5.

It said that more tsunamis are possible in the Avacha Bay where the regional capital of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky is located.

The Kremlin has said that regional authorities on the Kamchatka Peninsula were well prepared for the earthquake.

The Kamchatka Peninsula is in Russia's Far East and its eastern coastline lies in the Pacific Ocean.

Just over 289,000 people live on the peninsula that contains the volcanoes of Kamchatka, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, that form part of the Ring of Fire. 

Authorities in French Polynesia have issued warnings to the population of several of the Marquesas Islands to prepare for four-metre tsunami waves.

They said the waves are expected to hit the islands of Ua Huka, Nuku Hiva and Hiva Oa at around 1130 CET.

There are 15 islands in the Marquesas archipelago, home to more than 9,300 people, and it is one of the five administrative divisions of French Polynesia.

Japan's Meteorological Agency downgraded its tsunami alert to an advisory on the Pacific coast south of Fukushima, with the alert remaining in place farther north.

The warnings for the belt from the eastern Ibaraki region down to the southern Wakayama region have been downgraded to "advisories," the country's weather agency said on its website.

And China's Tsunami Warning Centre also lifted a tsunami warning for Shanghai and the coast of nearby Zhejiang province.

Several countries in Latin America have issued tsunami warnings that range from covering parts to the entirety of their coastlines. 

Chile’s National Disaster Prevention and Response Service has put in place a tsunami threat warning for Easter Island, as well as the regions of Atacama, Coquimbo, and Valparaiso. A lesser state of precaution has been implemented in more than a dozen other areas in coastal Chile. 

The Ecuadorian Navy Oceanographic Institute has issued a tsunami warning for the Galapagos Islands. Preventive evacuations of beaches, docks and low-lying areas as well as the suspension of maritime activities have been ordered for the islands off Ecuador’s coast.

In Mexico, the National Tsunami Warning Centre has warned that strong currents are expected at ports from Chiapas in the south to Baja California in the northwest. The government says authorities have been mobilised at all levels to keep people away from Pacific beaches.

Peru’s Directorate of Hydrography and Navigation has issued a tsunami alert covering the country’s entire coast. The agency has recommended that people living in coastal areas remain alert and take precautions, as “abnormal waves” could hit the coast imminently.

Russian authorities have not commented on unverified reports that the nuclear submarine base in Kamchatka suffered heavy damage in the aftermath of the 8.8 magnitude quake on Wednesday.

The Rybachiy Nuclear Submarine Base, in Vilyuchinsk, is home to Russia's nuclear-powered subs and also hosts intercontinental missiles, as well as nuclear warheads in its underground bunkers, according to reports.

Several reports hinted at possible structural damage at Russia's key Pacific Fleet naval base. However, these remain unconfirmed, with the Kremlin yet to release any information about Rybachiy.

The massive earthquake originating in Russia's Far East was in fact a series of eight quakes, each with a magnitude of over 5, Russian authorities said on Wednesday.

Over 50 aftershocks have been detected in the Kamchatka region since the first quake at noon local time (1 am CEST).

Kamchatka is expected to continue feeling further tremors for at least a month, according to seismologists, with some expected to reach a magnitude of 7.5 on the Richter scale.

The Philippines has cancelled its tsunami advisories that had been implemented for coastal communities in 24 provinces.

No significant sea level disturbances or destructive tsunami waves have been recorded since the earthquake, according to an update by the country's Department of Science and Technology.

Colombian authorities have issued an evacuation order for residents along the coastal regions of Chocó and Nariño, advising them to move away from the shore and towards higher ground.

"Tsunami alert for Chocó and Nariño, warning for Cauca and Valle del Cauca," the National Unit for Disaster Risk Management wrote on X.

The tsunami waves triggered by the massive earthquake in Russia's east are expected to reach as far as Papua New Guinea, Vanuatu and parts of New Zealand.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre confirmed Hawaii's tsunami warning was downgraded to an advisory level, with warnings of strong winds and currents, as well as minor flooding.

The evacuation order was also lifted, allowing residents to return to places that were previously evacuated.

Those returning home are urged to remain cautious and watch out for flooding.

The central city of Kamchatka, Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, is located on the coast of Avacha Bay, which protects it from waves, meaning there was no significant damage, authorities said.

Russia’s Oceanology Institute said that tsunami waves might have been as high as 10-15 metres in some sections of the Kamchatka coast.

Along with the Kuril Islands, Kamchatka is sparsely populated, with nearly 300,000 people living in an area roughly nine times the size of Belgium.

Waves are starting to reach the coast of California, the US National Weather Service for the city of Eureka said.

"The first Tsunami waves are beginning to impact the coast with clear waves being recorded at the Crescent City and Humboldt Bay tide gauges," the service reported on X.

The authorities have warned residents to stay away from beaches while the tsunami warning is in place.

Oprah Winfrey opened her private road in Hawaii's Maui after receiving backlash on social media over claims that she had not done so.

The road runs from Wailea to Kula, a route that coastal citizens can use to evacuate to higher ground located inland of the island.

The 8.8 magnitude earthquake in Russia's Far East marks one of the strongest quakes on record, ranking among the top 10 most powerful earthquakes in modern history.

Here is the new top 10 as of today:

1. Biobío, Chile (1960), 9.5 magnitude
2. Alaska, USA (1964), 9.2 magnitude
3. Sumatra, Indonesia (2004), 9.1 magnitude
4. Tohoku, Japan (2011), 9.1 magnitude
5. Kamchatka, Russia (1952), 9.0 magnitude
6. Russia's Far East (2025), 8.8 magnitude
7. Biobío, Chile (2010), 8.8 magnitude
8. Esmeraldas, Ecuador (1906), 8.8 magnitude
9. Rat Islands, Alaska (1965), 8.7 magnitude
10. Tibet (1950), 8.6 magnitude

What are the strongest earthquakes ever recorded?

The recent earthquake in Russia reopens the memory of some of the most devastating earthquakes mankind has ever experienced.…

Russian authorities declared a state of emergency on the Kuril Islands after the tsunami.

They earlier reported that several tsunami waves flooded the fishing port of Severokurilsk, the central city on the islands, and cut power supplies to the area. The Russian authorities said that tsunami waves topping 3 metres hit Severokurilsk.

Japan asserts territorial rights to the four Pacific islands it calls its Northern Territories.

The Soviet Union occupied the islands in the final days of World War II, after giving up on launching an invasion on one of the four main islands of Japan, Hokkaido. The dispute remains unresolved to this day.

The Kuril Islands -- which are part of the Pacific Ring of Fire -- are peppered with some 100 volcanoes, and frequent seismic activity sometimes triggers tsunamis.

Around 21,000 people, mostly Russians, live on just a handful of the 56 islands, while the rest remain uninhabited.

Meanwhile, Japan's Fukushima nuclear power plant was among the first to evacuate following tsunami warnings on Wednesday, in what is an echo of the 2011 nuclear meltdown disaster which was also triggered by a tsunami following a 9.1 magnitude earthquake.

Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings (TEPCO), which operates the power plant, said some 4,000 workers have taken shelter on higher ground near the Fukushima complex.

The power plant is being monitored remotely to ensure its proper functioning, according to authorities.

The Fukushima Daiichi nuclear facility has been shut down after the 2011 accident. However, a complex decommissioning process is still ongoing.

Damage was reported and evacuations were issued in Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula, the quake’s epicentre. 

Meanwhile, Japan ordered nearly 2 million people to evacuate along the Pacific coast, warning that the tsunami waves could continue for more than a day.

And in Hawaii, coastal residents were ordered to move to the fourth floor or above in buildings of at least 10 stories, the Honolulu Department of Emergency Management wrote on X.

One of the strongest earthquakes on record with a magnitude of 8.8 struck off the coast of eastern Russia early on Wednesday, triggering widespread tsunami warnings across the Pacific Ocean.

Tsunami waves already reached Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula, the Kuril Islands and Japan's Hokkaido island. Also in Hawaii, waves were reported.

Warnings are also in place for other islands, as well as coasts south toward New Zealand, Ecuador, and the west coast of the United States and Canada.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre warned of waves of 1 to 3 metres. 

People were advised to move to higher ground around much of the Pacific coast.

The earthquake's epicentre was just off the coast of the Kamchatka peninsula in Russia's Far East. It was the strongest to hit the region since the 1950s.