Tsunami advisories lifted across Pacific following magnitude 8.8 quake off Russia's coast
Photo:
RNZ Pacific/Caleb Fotheringham
Most formal tsunami warnings and advisories have been lifted in the Pacific region following a magnitude 8.8 earthquake off the Russian coast.
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center says the threat of tsunami waves remains possible, but Hawai'i is the only area under a tsunami advisory.
Earlier,
CNN
reported authorities saying tsunami waves started to hit the Marquesas Islands of French Polynesia around 10,000 kilometres away from the epicenter.
Emergency authorities in the Northern Marianas cancelled the tsunami advisory for Guam and the CNMI at around 7pm Wednesday local time.
Scientists at the US National Weather Service in Guam say they were fortunate the peak impacts occurred close to low tide, so wave gauges showed very small fluctuation in wave height.
Parts of California and Alaska remain under tsunami advisory.
Authorities say French Polynesia could be hit with waves up to four metres high,
Reuters
reports.
They have revised their the tsunami alert for the Marquesas Islands archipelago, saying waves of up to four metres could reach the islands of Ua Huka, Nuku Hiva, and Hiva Oa overnight.
A previous alert said waves of up to 2.2m could affect the islands.
Earlier, the French Armed Forces in French Polynesia said they were "on alert as a precautionary measure" to assist any potential search and rescue or medical evacuation operations.
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