BREAKINGBREAKING,
The magnitude 8.7 quake strikes 136km east of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky in Russia’s far east, according to US Geological Survey.
Tsunami alerts have been issued in multiple countries after a powerful magnitude 8.7 earthquake off the Russian coast.
Waves of up to 4 metres (13 feet) high were recorded in Russia’s far-eastern Kamchatka region early on Wednesday, with warnings of hazardous waves issued for Japan and the entire West Coast of the United States.
Kamchatka Governor Vladimir Solodov said in a video posted on Telegram that the quake was the “strongest in decades”.
The Honolulu Department of Emergency Management said that “destructive tsunami waves” were expected and called for the evacuation of some coastal areas.
Japanese authorities said they expected waves as high as 3 metres (9.8 ft) to hit coastal areas.
The magnitude 8.7 earthquake struck 136km (85 miles) east of the city of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky in Russia’s far east, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS).
Subsequent quakes of magnitude 6.9 and 6.3 were recorded 147km (91 miles) and 131km (81 miles) southeast of Petropavlovsk and Vilyuchinsk, respectively, in Russia’s far east, according to the USGS.
Robert Weis, a tsunami expert at Virginia Tech, said that the situation appeared to be serious.
“It is correct to be worried about this one,” Weis told Al Jazeera.
More to follow…