Tsunami waves hit Hawaii, Japan after Russia quake: What we know so far

This handout picture released by the Sakhalin Region Government on July 30, 2025, shows the tsunami-hit Severo-Kurilsk on Paramushir, one of Russia's northern Kuril Islands [Handout/Russia's Sakhalin Region Government via AFP]

Tsunami warnings and advisories have been issued for several countries with Pacific coastlines, including Japan, after a massive earthquake off Russia’s Far East coast.

Waves generated by the powerful magnitude 8.8 earthquake in Kamchatka Peninsula struck parts of Russia, Japan and Hawaii on Wednesday. The earthquake and the subsequent tsunami warning have triggered evacuations across the Pacific, with Japan asking nearly two million people to evacuate.