Overview

• A magnitude-8.8 earthquake struck offshore at a shallow depth of 19.3 kilometers some 119 kilometers southeast of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, marking the strongest tremor in the region since 1952.
• Tsunami alerts were issued across more than 40 Pacific nations, with 3–4 meter waves inundating Kamchatka’s coast and surges recorded in Hokkaido, Hawaii and along the US West Coast before warnings were lifted or downgraded.
• Hours after the quake, Klyuchevskoy—the highest active volcano in Eurasia—erupted, sending lava down its western slope and producing powerful explosions and glowing ash plumes.
• Scientific agencies and local authorities coordinated evacuations in coastal areas and maintained real-time seismic and volcanic monitoring to guard against aftershocks and further eruptions.
• Despite building damage and flooded ports, officials report zero fatalities, crediting robust early warning systems for preventing loss of life in this remote yet tectonically volatile region.