The Kliuchevskoi Volcano, the tallest active volcano in Eurasia, has erupted hours after the magnitude 8.8 earthquake that occurred at 1:25, Spanish peninsular time, in the sea off the Russian Kamchatka Peninsula, where the volcano is located. The earthquake, the most powerful since 2011 and the sixth on record, was located at a depth of 18.2 kilometers. "A flow of burning lava is observed on the western slope," says the Unified Geophysical Service of the Russian Academy of Sciences.
Thousands of people have been evacuated in western Russia, so far reports only mention several injuries in Kamchatka, where the tsunami alert issued after the earthquake has already been lifted. Four large waves flooded the coast of one of the northern Kuril Islands, Paramushir, without causing casualties, according to local authorities. In total, around 2,700 people have been evacuated in this archipelago.
Massive evacuation of two million people in Japan, where citizens went to evacuation centers in the affected areas in Japan, with the memory still fresh of the 2011 earthquake and tsunami. This Wednesday, unlike then, no damage to nuclear power plants has been reported, and the alert level on the Pacific coast has already been lowered.
In the United States, the only part of the coast still under tsunami alert - the highest level - is located in northern California. Authorities issued tsunami alerts for various areas in Alaska, the Hawaiian archipelago, and the island of Guam, alerts that have been gradually downgraded.
Costa Rica monitors extraordinary currents and suspends water activities
Costa Rica declared a yellow alert (surveillance) on Wednesday on the Pacific coast of the country and suspended water activities during the early hours of the day due to the expected "extraordinary currents" following the tsunami caused by the magnitude 8.8 earthquake that occurred on Tuesday off the coasts of Kamchatka, Russia.
According to the National Tsunami Monitoring System of Costa Rica (Sinamot), there is no risk of tsunami flooding for this country, but strong currents are expected. "This generates a latent danger in the morning for those entering the sea, especially for bathers and small boats that could lose their course, enter whirlpools, and cause boat collisions," reports the National Emergency Commission of Costa Rica (CNE).
A magnitude 4 earthquake shakes southern Peru, while the coast remains on tsunami alert
On Wednesday, an earthquake of magnitude 4 in the province of Palpa, on the central coast of Peru, was recorded without reports of material or personal damage, while the Peruvian coast remains on tsunami alert due to the magnitude 8.8 earthquake that occurred on Tuesday in Russia. The earthquake in Palpa, in the Ica region, took place at 13:46, Spanish peninsular time, with an epicenter 29 kilometers southwest of Palpa and a depth of 38 kilometers below the earth's surface, according to the National Seismological Center.
However, so far no personal or material damage has been reported. Peru is located in the so-called Pacific Ring of Fire, where more than 80% of the world's seismic activity occurs, and the last devastating earthquake in the country occurred in 2007 in Ica with over 500 fatalities and millions of dollars in infrastructure losses.
Peru closes 65 ports due to tsunami alert and expects waves up to 2.31 meters
The National Emergency Operations Center (COEN) of Peru reported on Wednesday that the wave height on the Peruvian coast is expected to be between 1 to 2.31 meters in the next few hours, leading to the closure of 65 ports. The latest report specifies that the first waves are estimated to reach the La Cruz port, at the northern tip of the country, at 17:09, Spanish peninsular time. The so-called 'wave train' will travel along the entire Peruvian coast, from north to south, and will culminate around 19:30 (Spanish peninsular time) at the port of Ilo, in the Moquegua region, with a height of 1.21 meters.
Most of the ports, docks, coves, and terminals closed in Peru belong to the Piura region, as well as the neighboring La Libertad region, and in the south in the Arequipa and Moquegua regions. At the same time, 61 other ports remain open for fishing and recreational activities, especially on the central coast of the country.
Easter Island, the Chilean territory that would be the first affected by a possible tsunami
The Disaster Prevention and Response Service (Senapred) of Chile reported on Wednesday that it has initiated a preventive evacuation due to a tsunami alert on Easter Island, in the middle of the southern Pacific Ocean, following the magnitude 8.8 earthquake recorded in Russia.
According to the schedule of the Hydrographic and Oceanographic Service of the Chilean Navy (SHOA), the Chilean island territory, 3,700 kilometers from the mainland coast, would be the first affected after the seismic movement that occurred yesterday on the coasts of Kamchatka, in the far east of Russia, with a wave train expected to arrive around 17:25 (Spanish peninsular time).
"We have street closures and the suspension of some public services that are within this route (...) So far we have no news about it, it has worked relatively well," stated the presidential delegate of Easter Island, Sergio Tepano, emphasizing the support of security agencies and authorities.
Chile initiates the evacuation of its coast after raising the tsunami risk due to the earthquake in Russia
The Chilean authorities have initiated the evacuation of hundreds of people from their coastal territory due to a possible tsunami after one of the most powerful earthquakes ever recorded shook the eastern tip of Russia.
The National System for Disaster Risk Management (Senapred) raised the alert level on Wednesday to a warning for strong waves along the Pacific coast of the country, as well as its insular and Antarctic territories. With this measure, "all necessary and available resources will be mobilized to act and control the situation, given the extent and severity of the event."
"The tsunami threat remains for the entire coast of our country," explained Senapred's director, Alicia Cebrián, at a press conference. "Three hours before the estimated time of the wave's arrival, evacuation processes will begin to safe areas."
Central America maintains a surveillance alert for the possible arrival of a tsunami following the Kamchatka earthquake
Central America maintains a "surveillance alert for the possible arrival of waves between 30 centimeters and one meter in height," after the powerful earthquake recorded on Tuesday in the Russian region of Kamchatka, in the North Pacific, reported the Geosciences Institute of the University of Panama (IGC) on Wednesday.
In a joint statement with the National Civil Protection System, the Panamanian Geosciences Institute explains that the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center (PTWC) has issued several messages directed to national tsunami warning centers, including Panama. According to current mathematical models, the "tsunami evacuation alert applies only to the west coasts of the United States, Japan, and Hawaii," while "in the rest of the countries of Central America and some in South America, the surveillance alert for the possible arrival of waves between 30 cm and one meter in height remains in place."