Tsunami threat looms after strongest Kamchatka quake in 70 years China, US, Japan on high alert

The Chinese Ministry of Natural Resources has issued a tsunami warning following a powerful earthquake that struck off Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula. The alert was reported by China Central Television, citing the country’s Tsunami Warning Centre.

According to the warning, the resulting tsunami may impact several coastal regions, including the city of Shanghai, the southern part of Zhejiang Province’s Zhoushan district, and the island of Taiwan.

The tremor, recorded at a magnitude of 8.8, occurred in the morning of July 30 and is the most powerful in the Kamchatka region since 1952, according to the Russian Academy of Sciences. The earthquake struck at a depth of 19.3 kilometres (12 miles) and was centred approximately 126 kilometres (80 miles) east-southeast of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, a port city on Avacha Bay.

The Mexican Navy’s Tsunami Warning Centre also issued a tsunami alert for the country's Pacific coast. The centre warned that waves of 0.3 to 1 metres in height could strike the western coastline. “Updated monitoring data indicates tsunami waves between 0.3 and 1 meter are expected along the national coast,” the centre said in an online statement. Citizens were advised to avoid beaches until further notice, and authorities warned of strong currents at port entrances that could endanger vessels.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre issued alerts across the Pacific region, noting that waves of between 1 and 3 meters above tide level could strike coastal areas in Hawaii, Chile, Japan, the Solomon Islands, Russia, and Ecuador.

In Russia, local officials reported flooding in parts of Severo-Kurilsk, the main town on the Kuril Islands. The regional governor confirmed that tsunami waves had reached the area but stated that residents had been safely moved to higher ground. Emergency services confirmed water inundation in parts of the town. The Kamchatka regional governor described the quake as “serious and the strongest in decades,” noting that a local kindergarten had sustained damage.

Japan's Meteorological Agency issued tsunami evacuation advisories after waves measuring 30 centimetres were observed along the eastern coast of Hokkaido. Authorities warned that waves of up to 3 meters could reach northern Japan’s coastline. Workers at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant were temporarily evacuated as a precaution, although theperator, TEPCO, reported no abnormalities. The Fukushima plant suffered a catastrophic meltdown in 2011 after being struck by a tsunami.

In the United States, tsunami sirens sounded in Honolulu, and residents were urged to move to higher ground. The National Tsunami Warning Centre in Alaska issued a tsunami warning for the Aleutian Islands and placed parts of California, Oregon, Washington, and Hawaii under a tsunami watch. In a statement on Truth Social, President Donald Trump urged Americans to “stay strong and stay safe” amid the warnings.

New Zealand’s emergency authorities also issued advisories, warning of potentially strong and unusual currents and surges along coastal areas. While no evacuations were ordered, Civil Defence advised residents to avoid beaches and coastal zones.

In Southeast Asia, Indonesian authorities warned that tsunami waves under 0.5 meters could strike parts of the Papua region, as well as coastal areas in North Maluku and Gorontalo provinces.

By Tamilla Hasanova