A powerful earthquake off the Kamchatka Peninsula triggered a tsunami in Russia’s Far East

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A tsunami wave struck the northern Kuril Islands early Wednesday following a powerful earthquake in the Pacific Ocean, prompting the evacuation of residents from the Russian coastal town of Severo-Kurilsk, regional officials have confirmed.

The first wave hit the shoreline of Severo-Kurilsk shortly after a magnitude 7.9 quake was registered near Kamchatka Peninsula, according to Sakhalin Region Governor Valery Limarenko.

The authorities ordered an evacuation of the town’s population, estimated at just over 2,500, to elevated areas away from the coast.

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“Residents remain safe on high ground until the tsunami threat is completely lifted,” Limarenko said. Emergency services are working in high-alert mode, he added, and “all necessary measures are being taken to ensure public safety and restore normal life in the area.”

Footage shared by local media and officials showed water reaching parts of the shoreline and residents climbing to higher ground as tsunami sirens blared.

There were no immediate reports of casualties or major damage, but the Alaid plant fish processing plant in Severo-Kurilsk has been submerged with all employees urgently evacuated from the facility.

Drone footage of the flooded coastal areas of Severo-Kurilsk has been shared online by the Russian Geophysical Service.

A tsunami threat has been declared across all of the Kuril Islands following the powerful earthquake off Kamchatka Peninsula, Elena Semenova, head of the Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk seismic station, told RIA Novosti.

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Authorities in multiple settlements across the island chain are monitoring the coastline and continuing evacuation efforts as a precaution. Emergency services remain on high alert.