MOSCOW: A volcano in Russia’s remote Kamchatka Peninsula erupted on Wednesday, hours after a powerful 8.8-magnitude earthquake struck off the country’s Pacific coast, triggering tsunami warnings across multiple nations.
The Klyuchevskoy volcano, the highest active volcano in Eurasia at 4,700 metres (15,400 feet), began erupting with molten lava visibly flowing down its western slope, according to Russia’s Geophysical Survey.
“A descent of burning hot lava is observed. There is a powerful glow above the volcano and explosions,” the agency said in a statement posted on Telegram.
The eruption came after a massive undersea quake hit off the coast of Kamchatka, prompting evacuations and tsunami alerts across the region, including Japan, Hawaii, and parts of the western United States.
The Russian Academy of Sciences’ United Geophysical Service confirmed the eruption, describing it as a “natural sequence” following seismic activity in the area.
The Kamchatka quake damaged buildings and caused minor injuries in the sparsely populated region, but no fatalities were reported.
Russia withdraws tsunami warning
Authorities lifted the tsunami warning for Kamchatka roughly 11 hours after the quake, with waves up to 4 metres (13 feet) recorded along the coast.
In Japan, tsunami advisories were issued for northern areas including Hokkaido, where waves of around 60 centimetres were reported.
Japanese nuclear regulators said no abnormalities had been detected at nuclear power plants, with memories still fresh of the 2011 disaster that triggered meltdowns at Fukushima.
The United States National Tsunami Warning Center placed much of the West Coast, including California, Oregon, Washington state, and parts of British Columbia, under a tsunami advisory.
Tsunami waves reaching between 2 and 5 feet were recorded in San Francisco.
In Hawaii, tsunami advisories remained in effect early Wednesday, although evacuation orders were lifted for the Big Island and Oahu.
Strong currents and coastal flooding remained a concern. “A tsunami is not just one wave,” said Dave Snider, tsunami warning coordinator with the centre.
“It’s a series of powerful waves over a long period. They cross the ocean at jet-like speeds, but slow and pile up near shore.”
Elsewhere in the Pacific, authorities in Chile upgraded tsunami alerts to their highest level and began evacuations along most of the country’s coastline.
In French Polynesia, waves began reaching some islands, prompting warnings for the remote Marquesas Islands, where residents were told to seek higher ground.
Ecuador’s emergency services also ordered the evacuation of residents in vulnerable coastal areas of the Galápagos Islands.
Danila Chebrov, head of the Kamchatka Branch of the Geophysical Service, said aftershocks were continuing but were unlikely to produce further strong tremors.
“Their intensity will remain fairly high. However, stronger earthquakes are not expected in the near future,” he said via Telegram.
While Klyuchevskoy’s eruptions are not uncommon, with at least 18 since 2000, according to the Smithsonian Institution’s Global Volcanism Program, Wednesday’s eruption drew heightened attention due to its timing and the scale of the preceding earthquake.
So far, no major damage or casualties from the eruption have been reported. Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, the nearest major city, lies approximately 450 kilometres south of the volcano.