La Derecha Diario A massive earthquake shook Russia, and there is a tsunami warning in Japan, Chile, and the US.
This Tuesday afternoon, one of the strongest earthquakes in history occurred in the Russian region of Kamchatka. The threat of a tsunami is imminent
A powerful 8.8-magnitude earthquake, one of the strongest recorded in recent history, shook Russia's eastern coast this Tuesday, generating a wave of tsunami alerts across much of the Pacific, including the entire state of Hawaii, areas of Alaska and several island and coastal nations from Asia to America.
The earthquake occurred at 1:24 p.m. Hawaii local time (8:24 a.m. Moscow time) about 140 kilometers (87 miles) east of Kamchatsky, on the Kamchatka Peninsula, a seismically active area in southeastern Russia, bordered by the Pacific Ocean, at a depth of 11 miles.
The seismic event has been classified by the United States Geological Survey (USGS) as the strongest globally since the Tōhoku earthquake in Japan in 2011, which had a magnitude of 9.0 and caused the nuclear disaster in Fukushima.
Un enorme terremoto sacudió Rusia y hay aviso de tsunami en Japón, Chile y EEUU
The first waves hit Japan and Russia
The first tsunami waves have reached Russia's eastern coast, flooding a small port town with about 2,000 inhabitants, according to the Russian Ministry of Emergencies. In Japan, the island of Hokkaido has also been hit by the waves, which led the Japan Meteorological Agency to issue evacuation orders for some coastal areas.
In live broadcasts, presenters from various television networks urged the population to seek shelter in elevated areas immediately. "Evacuate quickly. Move away from the coast and go up to higher ground," warned a presenter from Japanese public television. In Hokkaido, workers and residents were seen evacuating toward nearby hills.
Las primeras olas comienzan a llegar a Rusia y Japón
Hawaii and Alaska under alert
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center has issued tsunami warnings for all of Hawaii, where the first waves are estimated to arrive around 7:17 p.m. local time. Local authorities have asked residents and tourists to stay away from beaches, ports, and low-lying coastal areas.
In Alaska, the Aleutian Islands chain is under a tsunami warning, while parts of the mainland are under watch. Waves are expected to reach some areas of the state at 4:46 p.m. local time.
La población Hawaiana ha comenzado a evacuar las ciudades ante temores por el tsunami
The Pacific islands were evacuated
The governments of Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands have ordered the population to move inland and to higher ground. Guam's Civil Defense Center warned of dangerous sea level fluctuations and strong currents, which could arrive starting at 2:30 p.m.
American Samoa, Palau, Tonga, and the Cook Islands have also issued tsunami alerts or watches. In Palau, waves are expected to reach heights of up to one meter (3.3 feet) above normal tide levels. Tonga, meanwhile, expects the initial impact at 9:25 p.m. local time.
The phenomenon has also triggered alerts on the Pacific coasts of the United States, including California. Likewise, Latin American countries such as Mexico, El Salvador, Guatemala, Panama, Costa Rica, Colombia, and Chile have activated tsunami threat protocols, according to the official portal Tsunami.gov.
The President of the United States, Donald Trump, issued a message warning about the tsunami threat in Hawaii, Alaska, and the country's Pacific coast. In Japan, workers at the Fukushima nuclear plant were evacuated as a precaution, although authorities assured that no irregularities have been detected at nuclear facilities so far.
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