Warnings in various countries to stay away from beaches and go to higher ground

An 8.8 magnitude earthquake struck Russia 's Kamchatka Peninsula on Wednesday, damaging buildings and triggering a tsunami as high as four meters (13 feet) high that prompted warnings and evacuations across the Pacific Ocean . In the United States, authorities in Hawaii and California have warned the public to stay away from beaches and low-lying areas. The first waves of magnitude were recorded in the Muai area of Hawaii.

The first tsunami waves have been observed in Japan off the coast of Hokkaido, the island prefecture neighboring Russia. A tsunami warning has been issued following the earthquake that struck this morning 130 km off the east coast of Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula, one of the most powerful in the last century.

The entire country remains on alert, especially the archipelago's east coast, like many other Pacific territories. Authorities expect waves of up to 3 meters on the islands of Hokkaido and Honshu, although the effects could be more intense if they coincide with high tide. Waves of up to 1.3 meters were recorded in the early afternoon.

"Tsunamis can strike repeatedly over an extended period. Subsequent waves can be larger, so it is crucial to continue evacuating until the tsunami warning or advisory is lifted," the Meteorological Agency warned in an official statement.

Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba has urged residents of affected areas to move to higher ground or safer places and to provide relevant agencies with accurate information. A task force at the Prime Minister's Office has been monitoring the situation since early this morning.

Several people were injured in the remote Russian region. A tsunami warning has been issued on the Kuril Islands, and residents of the potentially dangerous area are being evacuated to higher ground," he announced hours before emergency services evacuated 2,700 people, including 600 children, to safe areas on the islands.

"Today's earthquake was severe and the strongest in decades of tremors," Kamchatka Governor Vladimir Solodov said in a video posted on the Telegram messaging app. A tsunami measuring 3 to 4 meters high was recorded in some parts of Kamchatka , said Sergei Lebedev, the regional emergency situations minister, urging people to stay away from the coast .

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) said the earthquake had a shallow depth of 19.3 km (12.2 mi) and its epicenter was located 119 km (73 mi) east-southeast of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, a city of 165,000 people. It revised the magnitude upward from 8.0 and reported a strong aftershock of magnitude 6.9 shortly afterward.

Tsunami warnings sounded in coastal cities along Japan's Pacific coast, and authorities urged people to seek higher ground.

Footage from public broadcaster NHK showed dozens of people on the northern island of Hokkaido on the rooftop of a building, sheltering under tents from the scorching sun, as fishing boats left ports to avoid possible damage from incoming waves.

Workers have evacuated the stricken Fukushima nuclear plant , where a meltdown following the 2011 tsunami caused a radioactive disaster, operator TEPCO said.

Only small waves were reported, and Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi said no injuries or damage had been reported so far, and there were no irregularities at any nuclear plants.

The Japanese government has ordered the evacuation of two million people living in coastal areas to prevent deaths and injuries once the waves reach the coast. This primarily affects areas of Hokkaido, Aomori, Iwate, Fukushima, Chiba, Ibaraki, and Wakayama, among others, where waves are expected to reach heights of three meters.

U.S. authorities have also reported the earthquake and issued tsunami warnings in Hawaii and several areas of Alaska, where the first waves are beginning to arrive. In this area, a tsunami wave of more than 5 feet (1.5 meters) was recorded in Kahului just moments ago. Hawaii's warning urged residents in low-lying areas to move to higher ground or the fourth floor of a building. Hawaii Governor Josh Green has informed the public that authorities will activate sirens in the hours before the tsunami is expected to hit.

"Due to a massive earthquake in the Pacific Ocean, a tsunami warning is in effect for those living in Hawaii," US President Donald Trump said in a social media post.

Nearly 283,000 people have been evacuated in Shanghai ahead of a typhoon that made landfall around 4:30 a.m. Wednesday (8:30 p.m. GMT Tuesday) and is expected to reach the city's financial center later today. Tsunami warnings have been lifted in Shanghai and Zhejiang, while they remain in effect in Taiwan.

Likewise, several Latin American countries have issued widespread alerts. Chilean President Gabriel Boric has indicated on social media that the most affected regions will be Atacama, Coquimbo, and Valparaíso.

In Russia, a resident of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky said the tremor started slowly, but grew stronger and rumbled for several minutes. “Given its strength and duration, I decided to leave the building,” said Yaroslav, 25.

The building is very fragile and light, which could explain why it survived. But it seemed as if the walls could collapse at any moment. The shaking lasted at least three minutes straight.

Unfortunately, several people were injured during the earthquake. Some were injured while running outdoors, and one patient jumped out of a window. A woman was also injured inside the new airport terminal, Melnikov said.

Russia's Emergency Services Ministry reported on Telegram that the port of Severo-Kurilsk on Sakhalin and a fish processing plant there were partially flooded by a tsunami . The population has been evacuated.

Although a kindergarten was also damaged, most buildings withstood the quake, and no serious injuries or deaths were reported, the ministry added.

Kamchatka and the Russian Far East are located on the Pacific Ring of Fire, a geologically active region prone to earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. The Russian Academy of Sciences said it was the strongest earthquake to hit the region since 1952.

"However, due to certain characteristics of the epicenter, the intensity of the quake was not as high as one would expect for such a magnitude," Danila Chebrov, director of the Kamchatka branch of the Geophysical Service, said on Telegram.

Aftershocks are occurring... Their intensity will remain quite high. However, no stronger tremors are expected in the near future. The situation is under control.