Photo: earthquake.usgs.gov
A magnitude 8 earthquake struck off Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula on Wednesday (July 30, 2025), sparking tsunami warnings from Japan and the U.S. Tsunami Warning Center.
The U.S. Geological Survey said the earthquake was shallow, at a depth of 19.3 km (12 miles).
The Japan Weather Agency said it expected a tsunami of 1 meter (3.28 feet) to reach large coastal areas starting around 0100 GMT.
The U.S. Tsunami Warning System also issued a warning of “hazardous tsunami waves” within the next three hours along some coasts of Russia and Japan.
No injuries in Kamchatka, town in Sakhalin evacuated
There were no injuries reported after the strongest earthquake “in decades” off Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula on Wednesday, but evacuation was ordered for a small town in the Sakhalin region after a tsunami warning, regional governors said.
“Today’s earthquake was serious and the strongest in decades of tremors,” Kamchatka Governor Vladimir Solodov said in a video posted on the Telegram messaging app. He said that according to preliminary information there were no injuries, but a kindergarten was damaged.
Sakhalin Governor Valery Limarenko said on Telegram an evacuation order was declared for the small town of Severo-Kurilsk after a tsunami warning was issued following the earthquake.
Published – July 30, 2025 05:31 am IST
