Tsunami threat: Severe earthquake off Russia's east coast
An 8.7 magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of the Kamchatka Peninsula—the strongest since the Fukushima disaster. Officials warn of a tsunami that could also reach the United States.
A severe earthquake off the Russian Kamchatka Peninsula has triggered tsunami warnings along the eastern coasts of Russia and Japan, as well as in western U.S. states. With a magnitude of 8.7, the quake was the strongest worldwide since the Fukushima disaster in March 2011, according to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). The German Research Center for Geosciences (GFZ) in Potsdam, however, reported a magnitude of 7.8.
According to the USGS, the epicenter of the earthquake was in the open sea, about 130 kilometers off the sparsely populated coast of Kamchatka, and relatively deep below the seabed.
According to the Russian regional minister for emergencies, Sergei Lebedev, a three- to four-meter-high tsunami wave hit the coastal areas of the peninsula. The earthquake was severe and the strongest in the region in decades, said the governor of Kamchatka, Vladimir Solodov, in a video message posted on Telegram. According to preliminary information, there were no injuries. Due to the tsunami threat, an evacuation was ordered for the small town of Severo-Kurilsk, as the governor of Sakhalin, Valery Limarenko, announced on Telegram.
Japanese authorities upgraded their tsunami warning this morning (local time). Floods up to three meters high were threatening the Pacific coast. Previously, waves of up to one meter were warned. Residents along the Pacific coast were urged to seek shelter.
The operator of the damaged Fukushima nuclear power plant reportedly brought its workers to safety. "We have evacuated all workers and employees," said a spokeswoman for the nuclear power plant operator TEPCO. She added that no abnormalities had been detected at the plant.
The US government's tsunami early warning system also reported waves up to three meters high, potentially reaching the coast of Hawaii, thousands of kilometers from the epicenter of the earthquake. A tsunami warning has also been issued for Alaska's west coast. Even larger tsunami waves are expected on Russia's east coast.
Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung
