The world has seen its biggest earthquake in 14 years after a massive 8.8-magnitude earthquake struck Russia’s Kamchatka region on Wednesday, triggering tsunami advisories that spanned Japan, Hawaii, and the US West Coast. Authorities said the waves posed a risk for hours after the quake, prompting evacuations in several countries.
Millions of people were initially urged to seek higher ground or move inland as the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center tracked waves traveling across the ocean.
By noon EST, all tsunami warnings for the US west coast were lifted. Japan also reported that the immediate threat had eased. However, new alerts were issued for Chile and Colombia, where evacuations began along coastal areas.
Authorities reported several injuries, though none were life-threatening, and no major structural damage has been confirmed. Emergency officials cautioned that aftershocks as strong as 7.5 could follow in the coming hours.
Wednesday’s event was the sixth strongest earthquake ever recorded and the most powerful in Kamchatka since 1952. Globally, it is the largest quake since 2011, when a 9.1-magnitude earthquake hit northeast Japan, leaving 19,747 people dead or missing.