One of the most powerful earthquakes in history has struck Russia's sparsely populated Far East, triggering tsunami waves that reached Japan, Hawaii and the West Coast of the United States.
Several people were slightly injured, but no one was seriously hurt. There is no information yet about significant damage.
Authorities warned that the threat of a magnitude 8.8 earthquake could persist for several hours, and millions of people who could be in the path of the waves were initially advised to move away from the coast or to higher ground.
However, in some areas the threat already appears to be easing: Hawaii and parts of Japan have lowered their warning levels. Authorities on Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula, near the epicentre, have lifted their tsunami warning.
Meanwhile, Chile raised its alert to the highest level for much of its long Pacific coastline and ordered the evacuation of hundreds of people, while Colombia ordered the complete closure and evacuation of beaches and coastal areas and restricted maritime traffic.
Ecuadorian education officials have cancelled classes at schools in the Galapagos and coastal communities.
Residents headed inland as ports in Kamchatka flooded and rough seas pounded Japan's northern coast. In Honolulu, streets and highways were clogged with cars, and traffic was at a standstill even in inland areas.
While tsunami warnings remain in effect for much of the U.S. West Coast, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said the worst is over.
“We were fully prepared and ready to respond if necessary, but we are grateful that we did not have to deal with a situation that could have happened,” she told reporters.
Unusually strong currents and unpredictable tides are expected in remote areas such as New Zealand, and the National Weather Service has warned of the possibility of “severely dangerous rip currents along beaches and ports” in the San Francisco Bay area.
Meanwhile, in Kamchatka, lava began flowing from the largest active volcano in the Northern Hemisphere. Explosions were also recorded, as reported by the Kamchatka branch of the Geophysical Service of the Russian Academy of Sciences.
People gathered at evacuation centers in the affected areas of Japan, remembering the 2011 earthquake and tsunami that caused a reactor meltdown at a nuclear power plant. There were no disruptions to operations at Japan's nuclear power plants on Wednesday.
Sourse: breakingnews.ie
