'No threat to India': INCOIS after earthquake in Russia sets off alarms in Japan, US, Pacific Islands

The first tsunami wave hit the coastal area of Severo-Kurilsk, the main settlement on Russia’s Kuril Islands in the Pacific,

After a 8.8-magnitude undersea earthquake struck off Russia's Far Eastern Kamchatka Peninsula early on Wednesday, the Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS) said there was no threat to India.

“Tsunami Warning Centre, @ESSO_INCOIS detected an #earthquake of M 8.7 on 30 July 2025 at 04:54 IST (29 July 2025 at 23:24 UTC) @ Off East Coast of Kamchatka (Location: 52.57 N, 160.08 E). NO TSUNAMI THREATS to India and Indian Ocean in connection with this earthquake. @ndmaindia,” INCOIS posted on X.

Tsunami Warning Centre, @ESSO_INCOIS detected an #earthquake of M 8.7 on 30 July 2025 at 04:54 IST (29 July 2025 at 23:24 UTC) @ Off East Coast of Kamchatka (Location: 52.57 N, 160.08 E).
NO TSUNAMI THREAT to India and Indian Ocean in connection with this earthquake. @ndmaindia pic.twitter.com/UXbPMjxqKu

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— INCOIS, MoES (@ESSO_INCOIS) July 30, 2025

Earlier on Wednesday, the Consulate General of India in San Francisco said that it was monitoring the potential tsunami threat.

The advisory warned Indian nationals in coastal areas to abide by the directions issued during a tsunami threat.

In a post on X, the Consulate mentioned, “The Consulate General of India in San Francisco is monitoring the potential tsunami threat following the recent 8.7 magnitude earthquake off Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula."

Tsunami alarms sounded in coastal towns across Japan’s Pacific coast with authorities urging people to seek higher ground.

Ferries connecting Hokkaido and Aomori on the northern tip of Japan's Honshu island were suspended, as well as those connecting Tokyo and nearby islands, and some local train operations were suspended or delayed, according to operators. Sendai airport temporarily closed its runway.

Japan's Fire and Disaster Management Agency said so far no injuries or damages have been reported. The agency, in response to the tsunami alert, issued an evacuation advisory to more than 900,000 residents in 133 municipalities along Japan's Pacific coast, from Hokkaido to Okinawa. The number of people who actually took shelter was not available.

Japanese nuclear power plants reported no abnormalities. Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings, which operates the tsunami-hit Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, said about 4,000 workers are taking shelter on higher ground at the plant complex while monitoring remotely to ensure plant safety.

The quake was the strongest to hit this area in the Kamchatka Peninsula since 1952, according to the local branch of the Geophysical Survey of the Russian Academy of Sciences. They said that while the situation “was under control” there are risks of aftershocks, which could last for up to a month and warned against visiting certain coastal areas.

Earlier in July, five powerful quakes — the largest with a magnitude of 7.4 — struck in the sea near Kamchatka. The largest quake was at a depth of 20 kilometers and was 144 kilometers (89 miles) east of the city of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky.

On November 4, 1952, a magnitude 9.0 quake in Kamchatka caused damage but no reported deaths despite setting off 9.1-meter (30-foot) waves in Hawaii.

(With agency inputs)