Russia Earthquake, Tsunami LIVE Updates: Tsunami Hits Parts Of US, Japan; Warnings In China, Peru, Ecuador

“So far we have not seen a wave of consequence,” Josh Green, governor of Hawaii said, but they have seen significant water recede, according to a BBC report.

Wave activity hasn’t come past the island of Hawaii, he said, and they expect it will be at least two to three more hours until they can give the “all clear”.

Tsunami wave that hit Hawaii was the tallest ones measured by the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center recorded at Haleiwa, Oahu.

It was 4ft (1.21m) tall, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said, with 12 minutes recorded in between waves.

A CNN report, citing data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, said that tsunami waves have begun hitting US shores with initial waves reaching Hawaii’s coastlines.

Water levels were recorded above 4 feet in Haleiwa, on the north shore of Hawaii’s Oahu island, according to the data.

The first tsunami waves have hit Alaska in United States, while waves are set to hit Hawaii any minute, according to a report by CNN.

The rest of the Western US states are also bracing for impact of Tsunami waves in the coming hours. 

Hawaii,  and parts of Alaska’s Aleutian Islands and part of northern California are currently under most severe tsunami alert, while the rest of the US West Coast is under a less severe tsunami advisory.

Midway Atoll, a group of US islands about 1,000 miles northwest of the main Hawaiian Islands, observed a water rise upto 3.1 feet or about 1 meter according to the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center.

This is officially the highest tsunami observation over open water that we have seen in the Northern Pacific so far, according to a CNN report. 

The first tsunami waves are expected to hit Hawaii this hour.

Sea levels were seen receding in parts of Hawaii’s coastline as tsunami waves approach its islands. Webcam footages from the islands of Kauai and Oahu, home to the capital city of Honolulu, show the water levels dropping significantly in the last few hours.

A tsunami usually causes the ocean levels to drop unusually before main waves arrive.

Video shows water receding in Kahai, Hawaii. pic.twitter.com/7lcE6MEYCz

— 𝗔𝘀-𝗦𝗮م𝗮𝗱 (@AbdulSamad4X) July 30, 2025

Authorities in Russia’s far eastern Sakhalin region declared on Wednesday a state of emergency in the northern Kuril Islands, where tsunami waves have damaged buildings and caused flooding.

“A state of emergency has been declared in the North Kuril District, where an earthquake and tsunami occurred today,” the Sakhalin government said in a statement.

The mayor of Russia’s northern Kuril islands district said Wednesday that “everyone” there had evacuated to safety following a tsunami which caused flooding and swept away buildings.

“Everyone was evacuated. There was enough time, a whole hour. So everyone was evacuated, all the people are in the tsunami safety zone,” Mayor Alexander Ovsyannikov said at a crisis meeting with officials.

A  simulation conducted by Tohoku University shows how the tsunami propagates across the Earth’s oceans. Japan is used as an example of Earthquake and Tsunami epicenter. This gives you a good indication on how long before it reaches California as well as South America. 

This simulation conducted by Tohoku University shows how the tsunami propagates across the Earth’s oceans
Japan used as an example of Earthquake and Tsunami epicenter
This gives you a good indication on how long before it reaches California as well as South America… pic.twitter.com/J0JFX1PCQa

— Culture War Report (@CultureWar2020) July 30, 2025

A video appeared on social media which claimed to be from Russia’s Kamchatka region when 8.8 magnitude earthquake hit the region. It shows doctors keeping calm during the powerful quake — and not stopping the surgery.

“They stayed with the patient until the end The patient is doing well,” according to the Health Ministry

Doctors in Kamchatka kept calm during the powerful quake — and never stopped the surgery
They stayed with the patient until the end
The patient is doing well, according to the Health Ministry pic.twitter.com/swtdBFSpm5

— RT (@RT_com) July 30, 2025

Russian authorities said state of emergency has been declared on tsunami-hit islands.

Following 8.8 earthquake on Russia’s far Eastern Kamchatka Peninsula, Japan issued evacuation warnings. The country’s weather agency said the first waves measuring 30cm reached the eastern coast of Hokkaido, after which people gathered at the rooftop of larger buildings in the area.

Rooftops fill in Japan as tsunami alerts spread
First waves are smaller than feared, but officials warn bigger ones could follow pic.twitter.com/qkorq9G0T7

— RT (@RT_com) July 30, 2025

Ecuador ordered preventive evacuations of beaches, docks and low-lying areas in the Galapagos Islands off its coast late Tuesday, after an 8.8-magnitude earthquake struck off the eastern coast of Russia.

“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,” Ecuador’s Secretariat for Risk Management said in a statement.

China’s tsunami warning centre said Wednesday that waves of between 30 centimetres and one metre were expected to hit parts of the eastern seaboard after a magnitude-8.8 earthquake struck off Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula.

“Based on the latest warning and analysis results, the Tsunami Advisory Center 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,” the advisory centre said.

Evacuation centers were established across Hawaii as the state issued a tsunami warning following a magnitude-8.8 earthquake off the eastern coast of Russia.

Sirens were heard blaring across coastal areas of Hawaii as cars jammed island roads and businesses closed early amid the tsunami warning.

HAPPENING NOW: Traffic is gridlocked in Oahu, Hawaii as residents rush to get to higher ground.
The U.S. military is now assisting in islandwide tsunami evacuation efforts.
Kolekole Pass from Lualualei Naval Road to Lyman Road is now open civilian traffic.
“This route is now… pic.twitter.com/hQq2VR5APr

— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) July 30, 2025

The Peru Navy said a Tsunami warning was issued in south American country after powerful quake off Russian coast.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said a tsunami had been generated by the quake that could cause damage along the coastlines of all the Hawaiian islands.

“Urgent action should be taken to protect lives and property,” the warning stated. The first waves were expected around 7 p.m. Tuesday local time.

https://t.co/JTAr2tza9G

— Hawaii EMA (@Hawaii_EMA) July 30, 2025

The first tsunami wave hit the coastal area of Severo-Kurilsk, the main settlement on Russia’s Kuril Islands in the Pacific, according to the local governor Valery Limarenko. He said residents were safe and staying on high ground until the threat of a repeat wave was gone.

The quake caused damage to buildings and cars swayed in the streets in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, which also had power outages and mobile phone service failures. Russian news agencies quoting the regional Health Ministry saying several people sought medical help in Kamchatka after the earthquake, but no serious injuries were reported.

It’s still unclear how big the tsunami would be in any of these locations. But if there is a tsunami, these are the estimated arrival times from the US tsunami warning centers.

The first tsunami waves are already arriving in Alaska’s western Aleutian Islands.

Kodiak, Alaska, expected arrival time is around 12:20 a.m. ET.

Southeast Alaska expected arrival time is around 12:45–1:55 a.m. ET.

Hawaii expected arrival time is around 1:15 a.m. ET.

Washington and Oregon arrivals are expected to start between 2:35 and 2:55 a.m. ET.

Northern California arrivals are expected to begin 2:50 a.m. ET, reaching San Francisco Bay around 3:40 a.m. ET and Southern California coastlines around 4 a.m. ET.

Kamchatka and Russia’s Far East sit on the Pacific Ring of Fire, a geologically active region that is prone to earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.

The Russian Academy of Sciences said it was the strongest quake to hit the region since 1952.

“However, due to certain characteristics of the epicentre, the shaking intensity was not as high … as one might expect from such a magnitude,” said Danila Chebrov, director of the Kamchatka Branch of the Geophysical Service, on Telegram.

“Aftershocks are currently ongoing … Their intensity will remain fairly high. However, stronger tremors are not expected in the near future. The situation is under control.”

The National Tsunami Warning Center, based in Alaska, issued a tsunami warning for parts of the Alaska Aleutian Islands, and a watch for portions of the West Coast, including California, Oregon, and Washington, and Hawaii.

The advisory also includes a vast swath of Alaska’s coast line, including parts of the panhandle.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said waves of 1 to 3 meters (yards) above tide level were possible along some coastal areas of Hawaii, Chile, Japan and the Solomon Islands. Waves of more than 3 meters (yards) were possible along some coastal areas of Russia and Ecuador.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said a tsunami had been generated by the quake that could cause damage along the coastlines of all the Hawaiian islands.

“Urgent action should be taken to protect lives and property,” the warning stated. The first waves were expected around 7 p.m. Tuesday local time.

Tsunami alerts were issued across much of the Pacific on Wednesday after an 8.8 magnitude earthquake off Russia’s far east. A tsunami is a shock of water that spreads through the sea, usually triggered by a strong earthquake beneath the ocean floor.

The sudden, violent movement of the Earth’s crust can thrust up or drive down a section of the seabed — with the rift displacing vast quantities of water that move as waves.

Tsunamis radiate in all directions from their source and can cover enormous distances, sometimes at the speed of a jet plane.

They are a rare phenomenon but can create dangerously powerful currents and cause deadly flooding in coastal areas.

Mexico mobilized authorities at all levels of government to keep its population away from Pacific beaches due to a tsunami warning Tuesday, after a powerful 8.8 magnitude earthquake struck eastern Russia.

The Mexican Navy warned that strong currents are expected at port entrances from Baja California in the northwest to Chiapas in the south of Mexico.

New Zealand authorities issued warnings of “strong and unusual currents and unpredictable surges” along coastlines throughout the country. The alert by the government emergency management agency said people should move out of the water, off beaches and shore areas, and away from harbors, marinas, rivers and estuaries.

New Zealand is in the South Pacific and about 6,000 miles from the epicenter.

The 8.8 magnitude earthquake appeared to be the strongest anywhere in the world since the March 2011 earthquake off northeast Japan that measured 9.0 magnitude and caused a massive tsunami that set off meltdowns at a Fukushima nuclear power plant. Only a few stronger earthquakes have ever been measured around the world.

The first tsunami from a huge earthquake off Russia’s far east that sparked warnings around the Pacific was observed in northern Japan, measuring around 30 centimetres (one foot), broadcaster NHK reported.

The wave hit the main northern island of Hokkaido, with NHK warning that subsequent waves could be much higher.

Japan’s weather agency said earlier that waves of up to three metres were expected all the way down the northern and eastern coasts of Japan, as far as Wakayama south of Osaka.

A tsunami hit Russia’s far east coast on Wednesday, flooding a port town home to around 2,000 people, Russia’s emergencies ministry said.

“The tsunami flooded parts of the port town of Severo-Kurilsk … The population has been evacuated,” the ministry said in a statement.

A video posted on Russian social media appeared to show buildings in the town submerged in sea water.

Workers at the stricken Fukushima nuclear plant in northeast Japan were evacuated Wednesday after an 8.7-magnitude earthquake off Russia’s far east triggered tsunami warnings around the Pacific.

“We have evacuated all workers and employees” at the Fukushima Daiichi plant — which went into meltdown after being hit by a tsunami in 2011 — a spokeswoman for plant operator TEPCO told AFP, adding that “no abnormality” had been observed at the site.

“Due to a massive earthquake that occurred in the Pacific Ocean, a Tsunami Warning is in effect for those living in Hawaii. A Tsunami Watch is in effect for Alaska and the Pacific Coast of the United States. Japan is also in the way. Please visit https://tsunami.gov for the latest information. STAY STRONG AND STAY SAFE,” US President Donald Trump said in a post on X 

An 8.8 magnitude earthquake off Russia’s far east coast early Wednesday was the region’s strongest since 1952, with aftershocks of up to 7.5 magnitude possible, the regional seismic monitoring service said.

“The strongest earthquake since 1952 has just occurred in the Kamchatka seismic zone … Given the scale of the event, strong aftershocks with a magnitude of up to 7.5 should be expected,” Kamchatka’s geophysical service said on Telegram.