Earthquake Of Magnitude 8.7 Triggers Tsunami: Waves Hit Russian Coast, Pacific-Wide Warnings Issued | VIDEO

A powerful magnitude 8.7 earthquake off Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula on July 30, 2025, has sent tsunami waves impacting the Russian coast.

Waves Hit Russian Coast, Pacific-Wide Warnings Issued (X/@disclosetv)

The initial tsunami waves, which were caused by a strong magnitude 8.7 earthquake off the coast of Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula, have hit the Russian coast in the area around Severo-Kurilsk, according to reports. Videos on social media site X indicate buildings being swept by the rising water level, with some pictures showing before and after shots of the areas affected by the impact of the waves. Though these images cannot be independently confirmed by news outlets, local news reports suggest extensive inundation.

NOW - Tsunami waves hit Russian coast along Severo-Kurilsk. pic.twitter.com/1cxuFHohVL

— Disclose.tv (@disclosetv) July 30, 2025

The huge underwater earthquake hit on early Wednesday, July 30, 2025, triggering widespread tsunami warnings and watches throughout the Pacific. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) originally registered the quake at magnitude 8.0, later at 8.7, at a shallow depth of 19.3 kilometers (12 miles) and at about 125 kilometers (80 miles) east-southeast of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky.

Pacific-Wide Alerts And Impact

Tsunami warnings were posted along coastal Russia and Ecuador, where waves of over 3 meters (yards) were likely. Warnings were also issued for sections of Alaska and Hawaii, and a watch was posted for the whole U.S. West Coast from California to Oregon to Washington.

Japan's Meteorological Agency issued a warning of a tsunami along Japan's Pacific coast, alerting that waves of up to 3 meters (yards) are likely to hit northern Japanese beaches within half an hour of the alert. The agency instructed residents to keep their distance from the sea until the warning passes.

Russian news reports from Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, the largest city within proximity to the epicenter, spoke of mass panic, with people pouring out of their houses. Accounts varied from overturned cabinets, shattered mirrors, rocking automobiles, and trembling balconies. Power disruptions and mobile phone service outages were also cited within the Kamchatka region's capital. Regional officials on Sakhalin Island verified evacuations in process.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center actually threatened "hazardous tsunami waves" that might inflict damage along the coastlines of all the Hawaiian islands, calling for "urgent action to save lives and property." The initial waves were due around 7 p.m. Tuesday local time in Hawaii (corresponding to early Wednesday in Russia, considering the time difference).

This is the area famous for its heavy volcanic and earthquake activity, and it is situated on the Pacific Ring of Fire. In mid-July, the region saw five strong earthquakes, the strongest of which was magnitude 7.4. One historic case is a magnitude 9.0 earthquake that struck Kamchatka in November 1952, causing major destruction and sending 9.1-meter (30-foot) waves to Hawaii, although there were no fatalities at that time.