Get the latest live updates on the Russia ear have been reportedthquake and tsunami! Tsunami impacts

Russia Earthquake, Tsunami LIVE Updates: An earthquake measuring 8.8 on the Richter scale—one of the strongest in the world—hit Russia's far eastern Kamchatka Peninsula early Wednesday morning. This powerful quake generated a tsunami that reached heights of up to 4 meters (13 feet), causing damage to buildings and triggering evacuation warnings in several areas of Japan and the United States. "Today's earthquake was serious and the strongest we've felt in decades," said Kamchatka Governor Vladimir Solodov in a video shared on the Telegram messaging app, noting that a kindergarten was among the structures affected by the intense tremors. The first tsunami wave struck the coastal town of Severo-Kurilsk, the main settlement on Russia's Kuril Islands in the Pacific, according to local governor Valery Limarenko. Reports indicate that a tsunami measuring 3-4 meters (10-13 feet) was also observed in parts of Kamchatka. Additionally, a tsunami wave of about 30 centimeters (roughly 1 foot) reached Nemuro on the eastern coast of Hokkaido, as reported by the Japan Meteorological Agency. The tremors also triggered a tsunami in the northern Pacific region, prompting warnings for coastal areas in Alaska, Hawaii, Chile, the Solomon Islands, and extending south toward New Zealand. Some coastal regions of Ecuador could potentially see waves exceeding 3 meters (yards). The quake occurred approximately 119 kilometers (74 miles) from the Russian city of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, which has a population of around 180,000, situated on the Kamchatka Peninsula.