Tsunami fears ebb after huge Russia earthquake

07/30/2025July 30, 2025

Tsunami warnings lifted in many places, some remain in South America

Coastal communities in Chile, across the Pacific from the earthquake's epicenter, braced for wavesImage: Alex Diaz/Aton Chile/IMAGO

Initial fears of a major tsunami following a massive earthquake off Russia's east coast subsided Wednesday for the US and Japan as the tsunami waves that reached Japan, Hawaii and the US West Coast did not appear to cause major damage. 

A person walks along Ocean Beach, in California, no major tsunami impacts were reportedImage: Carlos Barria/REUTERS

US Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem said the worst was over.

Later Wednesday, tsunami advisories for Hawaii, Alaska, Oregon and Washington state were canceled.

The warning remained for parts of northern California, where authorities warned to stay away from beaches and advised that dangerous currents should be expected through Thursday morning.

There were meanwhile new alerts along South America's Pacific coast, indicating that the tsunami danger hasn't entirely passed for the region.

The 8.8 quake was one of the strongest ever recorded, topped in recent history only by the 9.0 quake that devastated Japan's northeast coast in 2011. 

07/30/2025July 30, 2025

French Polynesia allows people to return to their homes

Authorities lifted the tsunami alert in the Marquesas Islands in French Polynesia, adding that people could go back to their homes. They were, however, warned to stay cautious.

Tsunami waves had begun hitting the islands early Wednesday but were smaller than feared. The High Commission of the Republic in French Polynesia said wave heights had reached 1.50 meters, less than the previous forecast of up to 4 meters.

More smaller waves were expected in the coming hours, officials said.

07/30/2025July 30, 2025

Separating truth from misinformation after a natural catastrophe

Even as some people evacuated their homes to find safety from a tsunami, others took to social media to make misleading posts and share disinformation.

Tap here to read about how DW separates fact from fiction — Fact check: Tsunami unleashes fake films and misinformation

Unlike some images shared online, this photo actually shows a fisherman by Ocean Beach, California, after authorities warned residents of the possibility of tsunami wavesImage: Carlos Barria/REUTERS

07/30/2025July 30, 2025

Chile: Easter Island evacuates coastal areas

Authorities in Chile issued evacuation orders for the coastal areas of Easter Island in the wake of tsunami warnings issued after Wednesday's Pacific earthquake.

In the town of Hanga Roa on Easter Island, which belongs to Chile, the coastal promenade was reportedly closed, according to the radio station Cooperativa. However, the majority of the population is said to live in higher areas that are considered safe.

On the mainland, Chile's disaster management agency declared a red alert for the entire coastal region and instructed regional directorates to evacuate endangered areas. 

President Gabriel Boric called for the population to remain calm and asked residents to follow official orders.
 

07/30/2025July 30, 2025

Russian Geographical Society: 'All the tents and structures were swept away by the wave'

An expedition team from the Russian Geographical Society has described the moment a tsunami swept away their tent camp on the Kuril Island of Shumshu on Wednesday.

"When the wave hit, all we could do was run to higher ground. It's very difficult to do that in boots on slippery grass and in fog," group member Vera Kostamo told Russian tabloid newspaper Komsomolskaya Pravda, reporting lost possessions but no casualties.

"All the tents and structures were swept away by the wave and our belongings were scattered across the beach for hundreds of meters."

Just to the south in the coastal island town of Severo-Kurilsk, just 350 kilometers (217 miles) southwest of the earthquake's underwater epicenter, waves of up to four meters penetrated as far as 400 meters inland and washed buildings and debris into the sea.

"Everyone was evacuated," said Mayor Alexander Ovsyannikov. "There was enough time, a whole hour. So everyone was evacuated, all the people are in the tsunami safety zone."

07/30/2025July 30, 2025

French Polynesia: Tsunami waves smaller than feared

Tsunami waves began hitting the Marquesas Islands in French Polynesia early on Wednesday and were smaller than initially feared, local authorities said.

Initial forecasts had predicted waves of up to 4 meters (13 feet) have been revised with waves now expected to reach 1.10-2.50 meters, according to the High Commission of the Republic in French Polynesia.

Hours before the first tsunami waves began to hit, residents were urged to go to safe zones, either at higher elevations or far offshore, and stay there until the official alerts are lifted.

07/30/2025July 30, 2025

8.8 quake is 'the equivalent of 1 trillion kilograms of TNT'

The 8.8 magnitude earthquake that struck off Russia's far-eastern coast on Wednesday was "the equivalent of detonating 1 trillion kilograms of TNT," according to US meteorologist Matthew Cappucci, who also explained to DW how earthquakes and tsunamis form.

Watch the entire interview here:

07/30/2025July 30, 2025

Russian volcano erupts after earthquake

The Klyuchevskoi volcano in the far east of Russia began erupting on Wednesday following the powerful earthquake in the Pacific, according to Russian state media and a local geological monitoring service.

Located in the far-eastern Russian oblast of Kamchatka, about 450 kilometers (280 miles) north of the regional capital, Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, Klyuchevskoi is the highest mountain in Siberia and one of the Eurasian continent's most active volcanoes.

"A descent of burning hot lava is observed on the western slope," reported the Russian Academy of Sciences' United Geophysical Service in a statement on Telegram, describing a "powerful glow above the volcano" and "explosions."

Klyuchevskoi, a cone-shaped volcano, is believed to have formed around 7,000 years ago and has erupted over 100 times since then, most recently in 2023.

07/30/2025July 30, 2025

Russia's Kamchatka region lifts tsunami warning

Russia's far eastern Kamchatka region has removed its tsunami warning after the earthquake, which had taken place off the coast the Kamchatka Peninsula.  

"Dear residents and vistors to the Kamchatka region, our colleagues from the State Emergency Situations Ministry have lifted the tsunami alert," Kamchatka emergencies minister Sergei Lebedev posted online.

However there is still some tsunami risk in the Avacha Bay, which lies next to Kamchatka's capital, Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky. 

Flooding had earlier been reported on the Russian-administered Kuril IslandsImage: Kamchatka branch of the Geophysical Survey of the Russian Academy of Sciences/Sputnik/IMAGO

Russian authorities have also canceled the tsunami warning for the Russian-administered Kuril islands, which lie south of the Kamchatka Peninsula and north of Japan.    

07/30/2025July 30, 2025

French Polynesia warns of 4-meter-high waves

Officials in French Polynesia told residents of the Marquesas Islands that they can expect tsunami waves as high as 4 meters (13 feet). French Polynesia is located in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. 

The remote Marquesa Island archipelago lies to the northeast of the main islands in French Polynesia. 

The High Commission of the French Republic in French Polynesia said the waves from "1.10 meters to 4 meters" are expected to hit the island of Nuku Hiva in the Marquesa island archipelago. Other islands could be hit with smaller waves of 0.6 to 0.9 meters.   

Large tsunami waves are expected to hit Nuku Hiva, the largest island in the Marquesa Islands, which are a part of French Polynesia (FILE: September 7, 2025) Image: Laurent Davoust/Zoonar/IMAGO

French Polynesia is an overseas territory of France.

French Defense Minister Sebastien Lecornu said "our armed forces in French Polynesia are on alert as a precautionary measure, to be ready to assist our fellow citizens and state services in potential search and rescue operations or medical evacuations."   

07/30/2025July 30, 2025

Japan begins downgrading tsunami warnings in many areas, except for northern regions

Areas across Japan were under tsunami warnings and evacuation orders after the earthquakeImage: Louise Delmotte/AP Photo/picture alliance

The Japan Meterological Agency (JMA) has begun downgrading tsunami warnings for many parts of the country, and putting areas instead under lower level advisories. 

However, the Tohoku region and Hokkaido prefecture in northern Japan will remain under tsunami warmings for now, the JMA said. 

Tsunami waves earlier hit Hokkaido after the 8.8-magnitude earthquake off Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula.  

07/30/2025July 30, 2025

Beached whales seen on the coast of Japan

It's unclear if there is a connection between the beached whales and the earthquake or tsunami wavesImage: Toshiyuki Kon/AP Photo/picture alliance

Japanese media has broadcast footage of four beached whales in Japan's Chiba Prefecture near Tokyo. 

It's unclear if the whales were on the beach due to the tsunami or earthquake. Chiba Prefecture was not hit by a tsunami after the Kamchatka earthquake. 

Japanese officials say the whales showed up on the beach prior to the tsunami warnings due to the earthquake. 

07/30/2025July 30, 2025

Tsunami warnings also impact Colombia, Peru, Mexico

Tsunami warnings due to the earthquake off Russia's East are also in effect for several Latin American countries which border the Pacific Ocean.  

Colombia has issued an evacuation order for beaches and coastal areas on the Pacific. 

"Tsunami alert for Choco and Narino," Colombia's National Unit for Disaster Risk Management posted on X, referring to two regions on the Pacific coast. "Preventive evacuation of beaches and low-lying coastal areas is recommended." 

Peru and its neighbor Chile are also under tsunami alerts.

The president of Peru's Geophysical Institute, Hernando Tavera, told AFP news agency the tsunami "generated by this earthquake is expected to reach the Peruvian coast on Wednesday morning, with waves not expected to exceed three meters (9.8 feet) in height." 

Mexico, which has a long border with the Pacific, is also expected to be impacted. The Mexican Navy called for residents to stay away from beaches on the Pacific and they believe waves between 30 centimeters and 1 meter in height are possible.   

Another Latin American country, Ecuador, said its famous Galapagos Islands could be hit by tidal waves. 

07/30/2025July 30, 2025

Tsunami waves hit California

Waves from the tsunami have hit the coast off northern California. 

"The tsunami has reached the California Coast, and is showing up in the Arena Cove, CA tide gauge and is making its way down the coast right now," the National Weather Service Los Angeles account posted on X. Arena Cove is located in northern California above San Francisco.  

A tsunami advisory is in effect across the coastal areas of California.  

07/30/2025July 30, 2025

Injuries reported in Russia's Kamtchatka due to earthquake

The Kamchatka quake is the strong to hit the region in decades, Russian authorities saidImage: S. Lakamov/KBGSRAS/Anadolu/picture alliance

The 8.8 magnitude earthquake in Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula has led to injuries. 

Kamchatka Health Minister Oleg Melnikov said there were several injuries due to the quake, but did not provide an exact number. 

Kamchatka Governor Vladimir Solodov posted video on Telegram of a kindergarten that had been damaged by the earthquake. 

Russian authorities have warned of aftershocks in Kamachatka after the quake.