Chilling video footage has emerged showing the moment Russia was rocked by two powerful earthquakes, one of them a massive magnitude 7.4, sparking a tsunami warning for the country’s Kamchatka Peninsula.
The video shows awhat appears to be an apartment being shaken to its core by the tremendous force of the earthquake, with the ceiling vibrating and the man thought to be capturing the footage clearly vocalising his distress.
The strongest quake struck 90 miles east of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatskiy, shortly after a 6.7 magnitude tremor was recorded in the same region. The back-to-back shocks prompted the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center to issue an alert, warning of potential waves reaching up to one metre above normal tide levels along some Russian coastlines. The news comes within a week of Spain being hit by an earthquake and tsunami warning which impacted British tourists.
Initially, a warning was also issued for Hawaii by the US National Weather Service, but it was later cancelled after further analysis revealed no threat to the islands.
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center cautioned that coastal areas of Hawaii and Japan could experience waves around 0.3 metres above normal levels. Authorities urged immediate action from government agencies in at-risk coastal zones, stressing the importance of informing and guiding local populations.
“Persons located in threatened coastal areas should stay alert for information and follow instructions from national and local authorities,” the agency warned.
Russia’s state-run TASS news agency reported that waves up to 60cm could reach the remote Aleutsky District on the Commander Islands. In the Ust-Kamchatsky region of eastern Kamchatka, waves as high as 40cm were expected, while Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky — the most populated area in the southeastern part of the peninsula — could see waves of around 15cm.
Seismic measurements often fluctuate in the immediate aftermath of a quake, and while there were no initial reports of casualties, the situation remained tense.
The tsunami warning was officially lifted at 9.42pm local time.