Russia earthquake live updates: Tsunami hits Russia as Hawaii, Japan on alert to wave threat

A powerful magnitude-8.8 earthquake has struck off Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula, a far east region of the country.

The first tsunami waves have now hit Japan and Russia.

Follow our live coverage below.

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Strong ocean currents expected in New Zealand

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By Audrey Courty

“Strong currents” and “unpredictable surges” are expected in coastal areas around New Zealand, the country’s National Emergency Management Agency says.

All coastal areas around New Zealand are covered by the warning, with the surges expected to reach the country close to midnight.

“People on boats, live-aboards and at marinas should leave their boats/vessels and move onto shore,” NEMA says.

“Do not return to boats unless instructed by officials.

“There is no need to evacuate other areas unless directly advised by local civil defence authorities. Coastal inundation (flooding of land areas near the shore) is not expected as a result of this event.”

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Taiwan on ‘tsunami watch’ and expecting 1-metre waves this afternoon

By East Asia correspondent Kathleen Calderwood in Taipei, Taiwan

I’m in Taipei, Taiwan and we’re pretty used to natural disasters like typhoons and earthquakes here. But tsunami warnings are less common.

There was a magnitude-7.4 earthquake here last year — the strongest in 25 years — that killed about 20 people, including a Singaporean-Australian couple, and caused major damage in the famous Toroko Gorge that closed it for months. We also feel minor tremors here all the time.

After a major earthquake in 1999 that killed nearly 2,500 people, Taiwan did a lot of disaster resilience work that’s been credited with the comparatively low death toll in last year’s quake.

Today the central weather administration has issued a “tsunami watch” alert, which is the second-highest warning level (out of four).

The agency says tsunami waves as high as a metre could hit Taiwan’s south-eastern coast around 1.20pm local time (3.20pm AEST), and the south-west about 10 minutes after that.

For now, we’re watching to see what happens.

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Russia earthquake live updates: Tsunami hits Russia as Hawaii, Japan on  alert to wave threat - ABC News

China expects tsunami to hit eastern seaboard

By Douglas Dingwall

China‘s tsunami warning centre says that waves between 0.3 and 1 metre are expected to hit parts of the eastern seaboard, wires agency AFP is reporting.

“Based on the latest warning and analysis results, the Tsunami Advisory Centre … has determined that the earthquake has triggered a tsunami, which is expected to cause damage to certain coastal areas of China,” it said.

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Tongans begin to evacuate coastal areas

By Doug Dingwall

Tonga‘s government says a tsunami alert is in force for the Pacific Island nation, where the initial tsunami waves are estimated to arrive about 10pm local time (7pm AEST) for the island of Vava’u and the Niuas island group.

“[Members of the] public who are in the tsunami threat area are advised to prepare to evacuate,” the country’s meteorological services said in a statement on Facebook.

“Mariners out at sea are advised to prepare to move to deep water.”

The ABC’s Tonga reporter Marian Kupu reports that people living near the shores are already evacuating their homes and going inland to higher ground.

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The footage may seem dramatic, but residents in Japan are well rehearsed at what to do

By North Asia correspondent James Oaten in Japan

Japan is well versed at dealing with tsunamis and earthquakes, given the country sits on top of several tectonic plates.

It’s one of the most geologically active countries.

The attitude here is always, “better to be safe than sorry”.

Footage from the national broadcaster, NHK, shows residents on the north island, Hokkaido, seeking higher ground — whether that’s on top of a hill or a factory building.

A little further south, in the city of Fukushima, the unmistakable blaring of tsunami sirens can be heard.

“I was driving home when the siren suddenly rang,” one resident told NHK.

“We all evacuated immediately. I was very surprised.”

While the footage may seem dramatic, residents in Japan are well rehearsed at what to do, moving swiftly yet calmly.

The first wave to hit Japan’s northern island was 40 centimetres.

The main island of Honshu was hit about an hour later by a 50-centimetre wave.

Authorities are warning more waves may arrive.

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All of the tsunami alerts at a glance

To give you a sense of how widespread the tsunami alerts are, have a look at the map below, which positions Russia and Japan on the far left and the US on the far right.

This image from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration shows tsunami warnings (red), advisories (oranges), watches (yellow), and threats (purple).

(AFP Photo: NOAA)