A magnitude 8.8 earthquake and accompanying tsunami of 3 to 4 meters struck the Kamchatka Peninsula in Russia, causing some port cities to be flooded. This earthquake is observed to be the most powerful in the world since the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake.
On the 30th (local time), the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations stated that the tsunami hit the coast, flooding the port city of Severo-Kurilsk at the southern tip of the Kamchatka Peninsula.
According to Kamchatka authorities, the earthquake that occurred that day had a magnitude of 8.8, with tsunamis of 3 to 4 meters observed in some areas. Footage released by the Russian state news agency TASS showed waves flowing between buildings and scenes of containers and large debris being swept away.
Earlier, at around 11:24 a.m., a magnitude 8.8 mega earthquake struck, followed by a magnitude 7.0 earthquake approximately 24 minutes later at around 11:48 a.m. This was followed by a magnitude 6.5 earthquake, with aftershocks of around 5.0 persisting.
The Kamchatka Peninsula is also the region where a magnitude 9.0 earthquake occurred in 1952.
The New York Times (NYT) reported that the earthquake on this day is comparable to historical earthquakes, predicting that it will cause economic damage amounting to tens of billions of dollars (hundreds of trillions of won), similar to past incidents.
Russian scientists called the mega earthquake a "remarkable event." The regional branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences' Geophysical Survey stated through its official Telegram channel that "the epicenter is close to the earthquake that occurred in the Kamchatka Peninsula on the 20th" and noted that aftershocks could continue for up to a month.
Meanwhile, Japan issued a tsunami warning and evacuation orders for the Pacific coastal area, but it is reported that no significant damage occurred as the tsunami was lower than observed levels.