A MONSTER earthquake has struck off the coast of Russia leading to evacuations in Japan and the US over a possible massive tsunami.
The magnitude 8.8 earthquake struck off Russia’s far eastern Kamchatka peninsula on Wednesday, the US Geological Survey said.
Emergency services work at a kindergarten damaged by the quake in Russia[/caption]
Tsunami-hit Severo-Kurilsk on Paramushir island of Russia’s northern Kuril islands[/caption]
People take shelter on the roof of a fire station in Mukawa town, Hokkaido, northern Japan[/caption]
The quake hit about 84 miles off the coast at around 7.24pm EST (12:30am BST) at a shallow depth of 19.3km (12 miles).
It is the 7th largest ever recorded and the largest since the 2011 shake which led to a tsunami that caused the Fukushima nuclear disaster.
The first tsunami waves from today’s monster quake have already hit Russia and Japan.
A 4m (13ft) high wave was recorded in Kamchatka with waves inundating low lying areas and thousands evacuating.
Hawaii is now bracing for the possibility of 10-foot surges that could strike across the northern islands in the chain.
Locals in low lying and coastal areas in Japan and Hawaii are now heading for the hills with warning sirens blasting out across Honolulu.
Some 1.9m people in Japan have been ordered to evacuate with small waves already hitting the country.
Officials in Tokyo are saying that tsunami waves may last more than a day.
It’s a nightmare scenario for the country that suffered a nuclear disaster at Fukushima in 2011 caused by a tsunami.
Tsunami warnings have been issued for as far away as Indonesia, New Zealand and Peru.
Donald Trump posted: “Due to a massive earthquake that occurred in the Pacific Ocean, a Tsunami Warning is in effect for those living in Hawaii.
“A Tsunami Watch is in effect for Alaska and the Pacific Coast of the United States. Japan is also in the way. Please visit tsunami.gov/ for the latest information. STAY STRONG AND STAY SAFE!”
