Tsunami alert in Pacific after 8.7-magnitude earthquake near Russia

An earthquake of magnitude 8.7 off Russia’s eastern Kamchatka peninsula on Wednesday triggered a tsunami warning in several areas of the Pacific Ocean.

The alert was issued for parts of Japan, Russia, and the United States’ Hawaii islands and Alaska. A warning was also issued for some Pacific islands.

Japan’s meteorological agency said that the tsunami waves could be up to three metres high. The waves were expected to hit Japan's Pacific coast between 6.30 am and 7.30 am Indian time.

The epicentre of the earthquake was 126 km east-southeast of Russia’s Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky city, according to the United States Geological Survey.

It took place at a depth of 18.2 km. Shallow earthquakes tend to be more destructive.

Several aftershocks each measuring more than 6 on the Richter scale were recorded.

This is a developing story. It will be updated as new details are available.
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