Massive earthquake hits Russia, Tsunami alerts issued for West Coast

A massive magnitude 8.7 earthquake struck off the coast of Russia, sparking tsunami warnings in Alaska , Japan and Hawaii and alerts for other areas of the West Coast. Officials confirmed that a powerful magnitude 8.6 earthquake hit off Russia’s Far Eastern Kamchatka Peninsula on Wednesday, triggering tsunami warnings and evacuations and causing some structural damage.

FIRST waves of tsunami hitting town of Severo-Kurilsk, Russia

Coastal buildings in JEOPARDY https://t.co/PHmWoI73KO pic.twitter.com/34TL8jNjDH

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The earthquake occurred about 85 miles off the east coast of Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula with a depth of nearly 12 miles, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.  A warning was announced for Alaska's Aleutian Islands and Hawaii. California, Oregon and Washington are under a tsunami watch, as well as the U.S. territory of Guam, while the threat is being evaluated.
All shores of the island are at risk because tsunami waves wrap around islands, according to the National Weather Service.An advisory was also issued for Japan's Pacific Coast regions from Hokkaido to Kyushu.Japan's meteorological agency warned that a tsunami about 1 meter (3 feet) high is expected to reach Hokkaido in the north around 10:00 a.m., local time, with waves arriving later in the day along parts of eastern Honshu and Kyushu in the south. People are warned to stay away from the coast and river mouths and not to approach the water to observe.
Kamchatka and Russia’s Far East lie along the Pacific Ring of Fire, a seismically active zone known for frequent earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.