Tsunami advisories have been issued after an 8.0 magnitude earthquake struck off Russia’s remote and sparsely populated far eastern coast, the United States Geological Survey said Wednesday.
The earthquake hit about 85 miles (136 kilometers) from Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, Russia at a depth of 19 kilometers, according to the USGS.
A tsunami watch is in place for the Hawaiian Islands and a tsunami advisory for portions of Alaska’s Aleutian Islands.
Tsunami advisories are also in effect for coastal regions in Japan, with the country’s Meteorological Agency warning that waves up to 1 meter are possible, according to Japan’s public broadcaster NHK.
“Based on the preliminary earthquake parameters, widespread hazardous tsunami waves are possible,” the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said.
The earthquake’s epicenter lies off the coast of Russia’s far eastern Kamchatka Peninsula, a remote part of the country that is sparsely populated.
Kamchatka is part of the Pacific Ring of Fire, an area of intense seismic and volcanic activity on both sides of the Pacific Ocean.
Residents were being evacuated on Sakhalin, a Russian island in the Pacific that lies to the southwest of the epicenter, according to Sakhalin Governor Valery Limarenko, RIA News reported.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
