Tokyo (Japan), July 30 (LaPresse/AP) – One of the strongest earthquakes ever recorded struck Russia's Far East early Wednesday, with a magnitude of 8.8, triggering a tsunami in the northern Pacific region. Alerts were issued for Alaska, Hawaii, and the entire Pacific coastline down to New Zealand.
Russian areas closest to the earthquake’s epicenter on the Kamchatka Peninsula reported damage and evacuations, but no serious injuries. The quake occurred at 8:25 a.m. Japan time and initially had a preliminary magnitude of 8.0, according to Japanese and U.S. seismologists. The U.S. Geological Survey later upgraded it to magnitude 8.8 and said the quake occurred at a depth of 20.7 kilometers.
The epicenter was located about 119 kilometers southeast of the Russian city of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, which has a population of 180,000, on the Kamchatka Peninsula. Several aftershocks were recorded, the strongest measuring 6.9.
The first tsunami wave hit the coastal area of Severo-Kurilsk, the main settlement in Russia's Kuril Islands in the Pacific. Local governor Valery Limarenko stated that residents are safe and will remain on higher ground until the threat of further waves has passed.
The earthquake caused building damage and cars swayed in the streets of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, where power outages and mobile phone service disruptions were also reported. Russian news agencies, citing the regional Health Ministry, said several people sought medical attention in Kamchatka after the quake, but no serious injuries were reported.
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