Nations issued tsunami warnings as powerful quake hits Kamchatka Peninsula in Russia

By Anjali Sharma

WASHINGTON – Many nations on Wednesday issued tsunami warnings after a massive 8.7-magnitude earthquake that hit off Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula, fresh tsunami warnings have also been issued for coastal regions in China, Peru, and Ecuador, intensified concerns across the Pacific basin.

Media reported that the powerful quake, centered 119KMS (74 miles) from Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky — a Russian city with a population 180,000 prompted immediate tsunami warnings in Russia, Japan, the United States, Australia, New Zealand, and multiple Pacific Island nations.

The authorities initiated evacuations in several areas near the quake’s epicentre, particularly across the Kamchatka Peninsula, where tsunami waves ranges rom 3 to 4 metres (10 to 13 feet) as per media reports.

The residents in vulnerable coastal zones were moved to higher ground as a precautionary measure.

In China, officials expect tsunami waves to impact parts of the eastern coastline.

The Ministry of National Resources released an advisory stated “Based on the latest warning and analysis results, the Tsunami Advisory Centre of the Ministry of National Resources has determined that the earthquake has triggered a tsunami, which is expected to cause damage to certain coastal areas of China.”

Waves are projected to range in height from 30 cm to one meter.

Peru’s Navy has also issued a tsunami alert for its coast following an assessment by the National Tsunami Warning Centre.

“After an analysis and evaluation by the National Tsunami Warning Centre, it has been determined that this event generates a tsunami warning for the Peruvian coast,” read a statement from the Directorate of Hydrography and Navigation of the Peruvian Navy.

In Ecuador, authorities have declared “preventive evacuations” for the Galapagos Islands in light of the impending tsunami risk.

Ecuador’s Secretariat for Risk Management said in an official release, “A tsunami warning has been established for the Insular Region (Galapagos), which indicates the immediate suspension of maritime activities, as well as preventive evacuations of beaches, docks and low-lying areas.”

The seismic shockwaves reverberates across the Pacific Rim, nations including Japan, Russia’s Far East, and US territories such as Hawaii remain on high alert.

Tsunami has hit a few parts of Japan and Russia, after what is being called one of the strongest earthquakes in history.

The experts have warned that the regions closest to the epicentre face the greatest threat of strong and potentially destructive waves triggered by the deep undersea tremors.