Earthquake and tsunami in Kamchatka: what is known

On the morning of July 30, an earthquake with a magnitude of about 8.7 occurred in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Kamchatka. The seismic event was the strongest in the region over the past 73 years. There was also a tsunami threat in the coastal areas of Russia and Japan — the wave height reaches 4 m.

What is known about the earthquake

The seismic event was recorded by the Kamchatka branch of the Unified Geophysical Service (USGS) of the Russian Academy of Sciences at 11:24 local time (02:24 Moscow time). Its epicenter is located in the Pacific Ocean, 161 km east of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky at a depth of 32 km. The earthquake source is adjacent to the sources of seismic events recorded on July 20, 2025 and August 17, 2024.

According to the USGS RAS, the earthquake was the strongest in the Kamchatka seismic zone since 1952. Its magnitude, according to various estimates, reaches 8.7 points. Aftershocks, according to the General Director of the Unified State Register of Natural Resources Danila Chebrov, can reach up to 7.5 points. The expert assessed the seismic event as having a planetary scale.

After the tremors in Kamchatka and the Kuril Islands, a tsunami threat was declared. According to Sergey Lebedev, Minister of Emergency Situations of the Kamchatka Territory, a wave from 3 to 4 m high was recorded in the Yelizovsky district. In addition to the Russian regions, a tsunami threat was also announced in Alaska and Hawaii, Japan, China, Chile and Indonesia.

Earthquake and tsunami effects

In Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, as a result of an earthquake, the wall of kindergarten No. 15 collapsed. According to the governor of the region, Vladimir Solodov, there were no children or adults in the building at that time. Previously, there were no casualties. At the same time, according to Emergency Situations Minister Lebedev, the tsunami does not threaten the city.

The authorities of the Kamchatka Territory have deployed an operational headquarters to coordinate the actions of departments after the earthquake. According to the press service of the regional Ministry of Health, there are victims in Kamchatka, but they do not have serious injuries.

In Severo-Kurilsk, tsunami waves flooded a port and a fishing enterprise. The authorities announced an evacuation in the city and introduced an emergency mode. About 2.7 thousand people were evacuated to safe areas on the Kuril Islands. Previously, there were no casualties or serious damage.

In Japan, tsunami waves up to 60 cm high reached the coast of Hokkaido, Ibaraki, Aomori, Miyagi, Iwate, Kanagawa, Shizuoka and Fukushima prefectures. Residents of coastal areas were asked to evacuate, no damage or injuries were reported. Military planes and helicopters were deployed to monitor the situation in the Pacific Ocean.