A powerful 8.8-magnitude earthquake has struck off the eastern coast of Russia, the United States Geological Survey (USGS) said. The quake was felt at 8:25 a.m. local time on Wednesday.
The USGS initially said the earthquake had a magnitude of 8 on the Richter scale. Later, it was revised down to 8.7. They revised it down again to 8.8.
The agency says the epicenter of the earthquake was 136 kilometers, or about 85 miles, east of the Russian city of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, under the Pacific Ocean.
The Japan Meteorological Agency issued a tsunami warning after the powerful earthquake off the coast of Russia. The warning said a tsunami of up to one meter, or 3.3 feet, could hit Japan’s eastern coast.
The updated warning says a tsunami of more than three meters high could hit the northern part of Hokkaido, Japan, from 10 am local time today, with the possibility of it gradually spreading south.
Meanwhile, immediately after the earthquake, the US Pacific Tsunami Warning Center declared an immediate ‘tsunami watch’ for the state of Hawaii. A similar warning was issued in Taiwan.
There have been no reports of casualties in Russia from the powerful earthquake, which is the strongest to hit the country’s Kamchatka Peninsula in decades.
“Today’s earthquake was quite serious. It was the strongest in the last few decades. According to preliminary information, there were no reports of casualties. However, a kindergarten school was damaged,” Kamchatka Governor Vladimir Solodov said in a video posted on Telegram.
The governor also said that people have been ordered to evacuate a small town in the local Sakhalin region after a tsunami warning was issued.
Source: Prothom Alo
