Russian TV shows buildings swept away as tsunami hits coast
An 8.8 magnitude megaquake struck off the coast of Russia's far eastern Kamchatka peninsula earlier, prompting evacuations and tsunami alerts across parts of the Pacific coast.
In Severo-Kurilsk, a Russian town of about 2,000 people some 350 kilometres (217 miles) southwest from the earthquake's epicentre, tsunami waves crashed through the port area and submerged the local fishing plant, according to authorities.
The town lies on the northern Kuril island of Paramushir, just south of the Kamchatka peninsula.
The waves, which were up to four metres high in some areas, reached as far as the town's World War II monument about 400 metres (1,312 feet) from the shore line, according to Mayor Alexander Ovsyannikov.
Most of the town lies on higher ground safe from flooding, he added.
"Everyone was evacuated. There was enough time, a whole hour. So everyone was evacuated, all the people are in the tsunami safety zone," he said at a crisis meeting with officials earlier.
An expedition group from the Russian Geographical Society was on the neighbouring island of Shumshu when the tsunami swept away their tent camp.
"When the wave hit, all we could do was run to higher ground. It's very difficult to do that in boots on slippery grass and in fog," group member Vera Kostamo told Russian tabloid Komsomolskaya Pravda.
"All the tents and structures were swept away by the wave, and our belongings were scattered across the beach for hundreds of metres," she added.
"We have no casualties, everyone acted quickly, but we lost all our belongings."
Authorities in the Sakhalin region, which includes the northern Kuril Islands, declared a state of emergency.
The regional seismic monitoring service said the earthquake was the region's strongest since 1952.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
IOL News
4 days ago
- IOL News
Walking the world: Karl Bushby's 27-year journey heads for the finish line
Karl Bushby, a 56-year-old British adventurer, has been walking an unbroken path around the world since 1998. Image: Instagram. British adventurer Karl Bushby is just 2000 miles (3218kms) away from completing his monumental journey: To walk an unbroken path around the world without ever taking a car, plane or even a bike. After 27 years of trekking through rainforests, icy terrains and the crossroads of continents, Bushby is ready to return to his mother's home in Sutton Park, Hull. Starting his adventure on November 1, 1998, in Punta Arenas, Chile, Bushby called his adventure the Goliath Expedition. While he thought it would only take him about 12 years to walk 36,000 miles (57 936kms), complications forced his expedition to stretch far longer than he ever imagined. Bushby has been walking through wars, a pandemic and even visa troubles. Speaking to "BBC Radio Humberside" recently, Bushby said that he hopes to continue his trek, via Turkey, in August before entering Europe. Karl Bushby. Image: Instagram. It will take him another year before he is on home soil and is aiming to arrive in Hull by September 2026. "On 1 November 1998, you're literally looking down at a road that's 36,000 miles long and have no idea how you're going to do it. We've run into a lot of complications with visa problems, financial crises, and the pandemic; we've had it all. "It's been extremely difficult, but we've always stuck to our guns and never been willing to compromise on the route," Bushby shared. He continued: "Getting home, I just don't know, it's weird, it's a very strange place to be in where suddenly your purpose for living will have a hard stop. I'm hoping to transition into other things as quickly as possible, keeping mind, body and soul on the move." He said reuniting with his family would involve getting "to know each other again". Bushby's epic path has led him from the jungles of Central America to the frozen stretches of Siberia. He even walked across the Bering Strait from Alaska to Russia. He had to wait for the sea ice to solidify and faced detention with the Russian authorities, which put his ambitious plans on hold. After a five-year delay, Bushby continued pressing on, re-choreographing his steps through China. Karl Bushby in The Pacific Coast of Mexico in 2002. Image: Instagram. At the moment, he finds himself in Mexico, anxiously awaiting a visa that will allow him to continue his journey. His next move is to Turkey, with hopes of entering Europe by August. With less than 2,000 (3218kms) miles to go, he expects to arrive back in Hull by September 2026.
eNCA
4 days ago
- eNCA
Japan lifts tsunami advisory after Russia quake
TOKYO - Japan's weather office on Thursday lifted a tsunami advisory imposed a day earlier after Russia's Far East was rocked by one of the strongest earthquakes on record. "There is currently no coastal area for which tsunami warnings or advisories are in force," the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) said on its website. Millions of people were put on high alert in countries around the Pacific Ocean after the 8.8-magnitude quake off Russia's Kamchatka peninsula on Wednesday. The worst damage was seen in Russia, where a tsunami crashed through the port of Severo-Kurilsk and submerged the local fishing plant, officials said. Russian state television footage showed buildings and debris swept into the sea. The initial quake caused limited damage and only light injuries. Fears of a repeat of the December 2004 tsunami that killed 220,000 people in 11 nations the legacy of which was to improve early warning systems were not realised. In Japan, where a massive earthquake and tsunami killed 15,000 people in 2011, almost two million people were ordered to higher ground, but the biggest wave was 1.3 metres (4.3 feet). AFP | Philip FONG The only reported fatality was a woman killed when her car fell off a cliff in Japan as she tried to escape on Wednesday, local media reported. Japan downgraded its tsunami alert to an advisory later on Wednesday, and waves of up to 0.7 metres were still being observed on Thursday. "The tsunami warning was lifted at 4:30 pm (0630 GMT) after it was determined that the tsunamis would not grow any larger," the JMA said. The beaching of four sperm whales on a beach in Japan was initially blamed on the earthquake but officials said the animals had washed up a day earlier. Local surfer Fumiko Udagawa said that it was the first time that such big whales were washed up in the 20 years she has lived in the area. "As surfers, we are constantly worried now about the sea water being so warm, even towards winter," the 56-year-old told AFP. "I wonder if this (stranded whales) is also a result of global warming." Akira Komatsu, a seasonal visitor, wondered if the whales washing up were a precursor of the quake. "I heard that earthquakes affect the magnetic condition underwater, and whales detect magnetics," the 61-year-old told AFP.
eNCA
5 days ago
- eNCA
Millions return home as Pacific tsunami warnings lifted
ECUADOR - Tsunami warnings were lifted across the Pacific rim Wednesday, allowing millions of temporary evacuees to return home. After one of the strongest earthquakes ever recorded rattled Russia's sparsely populated Far East, more than a dozen nations - from Japan to the United States to Ecuador - warned citizens to stay away from coastal regions. Storm surges of up to four metres (12 feet) were predicted for some parts of the Pacific, after the 8.8 quake struck off Russia's Kamchatka peninsula. The tsunamis caused widespread disruption. Peru closed 65 of its 121 Pacific ports and authorities on Maui cancelled flights to and from the Hawaiian island. But fears of a catastrophe were not realised, with country after country lifting or downgrading warnings and telling coastal residents they could return. In Japan, almost two million people had been ordered to higher ground, before the warnings were downgraded or rescinded. AFP | Kazuhiro NOGI The Fukushima nuclear plant in northeast Japan - destroyed by a huge quake and tsunami in 2011 - was temporarily evacuated. The only reported fatality was a woman killed while driving her car off a cliff in Japan as she tried to escape, local media reported. In Chile, authorities conducted what the Interior Ministry said was "perhaps the most massive evacuation ever carried out in our country" - with 1.4 million people ordered to high ground. Chilean authorities reported no damage or victims and registered waves of just 60 centimetres (two feet) on the country's north coast. In the Galapagos Islands, where waves of up to three meters were expected, there was relief as the Ecuadoran navy's oceanographic institute said the danger had passed. Locals reported the sea level falling and then rising suddenly, a phenomenon which is commonly seen with the arrival of a tsunami. But only a surge of just over a meter was reported, causing no damage. AFP | Connie FRANCE "Everything is calm, I'm going back to work. The restaurants are reopening and the places tourists visit are also open again," said 38-year-old Santa Cruz resident Isabel Grijalva. Earlier national parks were closed, schools were shuttered, loudspeakers blared warnings and tourists were spirited off sightseeing boats and onto the safety of land. The worst damage was seen in Russia, where a tsunami crashed through the port of Severo-Kurilsk and submerged the local fishing plant, officials said. Russian state television footage showed buildings and debris swept into the sea. The surge of water reached as far as the town's World War II monument about 400 meters from the shoreline, said Mayor Alexander Ovsyannikov. AFP | Eugene Tanner The initial quake also caused limited damage and only light injuries, despite being the strongest since 2011, when 15,000 people were killed in Japan. Russian scientists reported that the Klyuchevskoy volcano erupted shortly after the earthquake. "Red-hot lava is observed flowing down the western slope. There is a powerful glow above the volcano and explosions," said Russia's Geophysical Survey. - Pacific alerts - NOAA/AFP | - Wednesday's quake was the strongest in the Kamchatka region since 1952, the regional seismic monitoring service said, warning of aftershocks of up to 7.5 magnitude. The US Geological Survey said the quake was one of the 10 strongest tremors recorded since 1900. It was followed by dozens of aftershocks that further shook the Russian Far East, including one of 6.9 magnitude. The USGS said there was a 59 percent chance of an aftershock of more than 7.0 magnitude in the next week.
