A participant of the Kuril expedition of the Russian Geographical Society told about the tsunami on the island of Shumshu

The earthquake in Kamchatka and the subsequent tsunami destroyed the camp of the expedition "Eastern Bastion — Kuril Ridge" of the Russian Geographical Society (RGS) on the Kuril island of Shumshu. Elena Poddubnaya, a member of the expedition, told Izvestia about the evacuation of people from the camp on July 30.

"I grew up in Kamchatka myself, and I don't remember such strong tremors. We understood that a wave could come, so we gathered all our personal belongings and put a man on the shore to monitor the water just in case. We took our passports, phones, cameras, and everything we needed, went to a height and watched from above as the first wave washed away our camp," Poddubnaya said.

According to the woman, the expedition members were promptly evacuated by the Ministry of Emergency Situations and placed in their camp. Rescuers gave the geographers warm clothes, fed, watered and warmed them up.

"We will spend the night here, and as soon as the situation stabilizes, the Ministry of Emergency Situations will allow us, we will go ashore to collect bags. There's a lot left lying there. When we left, we saw our belongings scattered in the grass on the shore. Some bags were recognized. Maybe we'll go look for it tomorrow," Poddubnaya said.

The expedition participant noted that they were unable to save many personal belongings and clothes, as they were primarily concerned about the safety of the equipment.

"Many thanks to the Ministry of Emergency Situations for bringing us dry clothes, everything from socks to jackets, because we have nothing left of our belongings. We were saving gear, equipment, cameras. Well, you can't take everything away. The main thing is that everyone is alive," Poddubnaya summed up.

The earthquake occurred earlier in the day. A tsunami threat has been declared on the coast of the Avacha Bay. In Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, the collapse of the wall of one of the kindergartens was recorded. The state of emergency is in effect in the North Kuril region of the Sakhalin region and in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky. On behalf of the Governor of Kamchatka, Vladimir Solodov, a regional headquarters was deployed in the region. The healthcare system has been put on an enhanced regime.

Later, the governor of the Sakhalin Region, Valery Limarenko, announced the first tsunami wave in the coastal zone of Severo-Kurilsk. He clarified that residents are being evacuated in the city.

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