The strongest earthquake in a decade struck Russia’s coast on Wednesday, prompting tsunami warnings and evacuations across multiple countries.
Registering at a magnitude of 8.8, the quake caused chaos in the city of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, which was closest to the epicentre.
Many in the city ran out into the street without shoes, according to Russia’s Tass news agency, as cars swayed and buildings shook noticeably, with residents reporting power outages and mobile phone service failures.
Several people were injured but are in satisfactory condition, although authorities did not give a precise number.
Oleg Melnikov, head of the regional health department, said a few people hurt themselves while rushing to leave buildings, and a hospital patient received an injury while jumping out of a window.
The quake has caused tsunamis to hit coastal areas of Russia’s Kuril Islands and Japan’s large northern island.
The first tsunami wave hit the coastal area of Severo-Kurilsk, the main settlement on Russia’s Kuril Islands, triggering a state of emergency.
Several waves more than three metres high flooded the fishing port and cut power supplies to the area.
The local governor, Valery Limarenko, said residents were safe and staying on high ground until the threat of a repeat wave was gone.
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