A powerful earthquake measuring 8.8 on the Richter scale struck the Russian Kamchatka Peninsula early Wednesday, triggering tsunami waves between 3 and 4 meters high. Warnings were issued across Russia, Japan, the United States, and other Pacific-facing countries of possible further tsunamis.

The Geophysical Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences in Kamchatka confirmed the event to be the strongest quake since 1952 and noted dangerous tsunami activity along the coast. They warned of strong aftershocks, possibly reaching 7.5 in magnitude, expected to persist for at least another month.

The U.S. Geological Survey reported the quake occurred at a depth of 19.3 kilometers, about 136 km from Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, Kamchatka’s capital.

 International Responses:

- Mexico’s Civil Protection Agency ordered residents to evacuate Pacific coastal zones due to the tsunami threat.

- The Mexican Navy warned of “strong currents at port entrances” from Baja California in the north to Chiapas in the south.

- In Russia’s Kuril Islands, the Emergency Ministry reported flooding in Severo-Kurilsk and confirmed the evacuation of residents.

- In Japan, initial tsunami waves reached Hokkaido at a height of 30 cm, with warnings of potentially higher waves to follow. Evacuation orders were issued for coastal areas, including up to south Osaka.

- TEPCO, operator of the Fukushima nuclear plant, evacuated all workers due to tsunami risk. No irregularities were reported at the site.

- The U.S. Tsunami Warning Center issued alerts for “dangerous waves exceeding 3 meters” affecting parts of Russia, Japan, Hawaii, California, Oregon, and Washington.

- In Hawaii, sirens sounded, and residents were urged to seek higher ground in certain coastal areas.

Local officials reported injuries in Kamchatka and called for residents to stay away from the shorelines. Governor Vladimir Solodov urged residents to heed emergency announcements broadcast via loudspeakers.

The quake follows a 7.4-magnitude tremor on July 20 in the same region that caused no serious damage. The Kamchatka Peninsula, situated between the Sea of Okhotsk and the Pacific Ocean, remains one of the world’s most seismically active zones, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.