Earthquakes Tsunami updates live: Central and South American authorities order evacuations; volcano in Russia starts erupting after earthquake off Russian coast

 

A powerful Magnitude 8.8 earthquake has struck off the coast of Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula, triggering widespread tsunami warnings and leading to evacuations across the Pacific.

   

Tsunami Updates and Evacuations:

 * Central and South America: Authorities in countries like Colombia, Chile, Ecuador, and Peru have ordered evacuations and issued tsunami warnings.

   * Colombia's National Unit for Disaster Risk Management anticipates strong currents and waves, urging precautionary evacuations in Nariño and Chocó.

   * Chile has suspended classes along parts of its Pacific coast and issued a yellow alert.

   * Ecuador's Oceanographic Institute of the Navy warned of an "imminent danger" of a tsunami, with 1.4m waves expected to hit the Galápagos Islands.

   * Peru's national emergency center has issued a tsunami warning, forecasting waves between 3.28 and 7.58 feet.

   

 * North America: Tsunami advisories remain in effect for coastal areas of California, Oregon, Washington, and British Columbia. While Hawaii downgraded its tsunami warning to an advisory, evacuation orders on some islands had been lifted. Officials are urging people to stay away from beaches and harbors due to potential dangerous currents and waves.

 * Asia and Oceania: Tsunami waves have already reached parts of Japan and Russia. Waves of up to 4 meters were recorded in Severo-Kurilsk on the Kuril Islands. Japan initially issued warnings but has since downgraded them. The Philippines also cancelled its tsunami advisory after no significant disturbances were reported.

 * Russia: A state of emergency was declared on the Kamchatka Peninsula and the Kuril Islands, but has since been cancelled in some areas. Buildings were damaged and several people were injured in the remote Russian region.

Volcanic Activity:

 * Following the earthquake, the Klyuchevskoy volcano on Russia's Kamchatka peninsula, one of the tallest active volcanoes in Eurasia, has started erupting. Reports indicate a column of ash reaching three kilometers above sea level and a descent of burning hot lava on its western slope.

Earthquake Details:

 * The 8.8-magnitude earthquake occurred at a depth of around 19.3 km (12 miles) and was centered approximately 119 km (80 miles) east-southeast of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky.

 * This quake is considered among the top 10 strongest earthquakes ever recorded and the largest worldwide since the 2011 Tohoku earthquake in Japan.

 * It is a "megathrust" earthquake, occurring where the Pacific Plate is subducting beneath the Okhotsk Plate, a seismically active region part of the Pacific "Ring of Fire."

 * More than 30 aftershocks have followed the main quake, including a powerful 6.9-magnitude jolt.

 * While there are reports of injuries, no fatalities have been confirmed. Authorities are continuing to monitor conditions and assess the damage.