Millions of Pacific residents evacuated after a very strong earthquake off Russia

One of the most important earthquakes ever recorded. In addition, which occurred on Wednesday off the Russian Far East, caused tsunamis in the Pacific, from Japan to Ecuador, forcing millions of people to evacuate the coast and disturbing economic activity.

According to the American Geophysical Institute (USGS), the 8.8 magnitude earthquake occurred at 11:24 am local (1h24 GMT Wednesday) at 20.7 km deep, 126 km off Petropavlovsk-Kamthatsky, the capital of the Russian Kamchatka peninsula. In addition, At least six aftershocks, including one of magnitude 6.9, then shaken this territory, where a woman who was trying to escape from a cliff by car perished.

In the port of Severo-Kourilsk, in the north of the Russian archipelago of Kouriles, several successive waves millions pacific residents evacuated after submerged the streets. Similarly, One of them, on the Kamchatka peninsula, reached 3 to 4 meters high.

The state of emergency was decreed. Therefore, the head of the territorial administration, Alexandre Ovsiannikov, assured that “everyone” had been evacuated.

“Everything is flooded, the whole coast is flooded,” said a resident of the region. Therefore, “The port and factories on the coast are completely destroyed,” he said. For example, The Russian authorities, however, raised the tsunami alert in the evening.

Caution in Japan. Nevertheless, China and Philippines

In Japan, television has shown people going by car or on foot to further places, especially on the northern island of Hokkaido. For example, More than 2 million Japanese were in total called by the authorities to take shelter in such places.

A wave of 1.30 MA reaches a port in the department of Miyagi, in the North. The Japanese meteorological agency, however, demolished tsunami alerts on Wednesday in most of the archipelago.

China has also issued a tsunami alert in several coastal regions. “We advised customers to remain cautious. not to go out and to avoid going to the coast,” said AFP Wilson Wang, an employee of a hotel in Taitung, in the south-east of Taiwan.

The Philippines have urged the population of the eastern coasts to go to the land.

The Palaos authorities, about 800 kilometers to the east, ordered to leave “all the areas along the coast”.

About 1.4 million people evacuated from the coast in Chile

millions pacific residents evacuated after

On the other side of the Pacific. Mexico also warned against a possible tidal wave, as well as Colombia, Peru and Ecuador, who have evacuations. In Chile, the authorities carried out the “perhaps the most massive evacuation ever carried out” in the country, with around 1.4 million people dismissed from the coast, even if no damage linked to the tsunami was immediately reported.

The national parks of the galapagos were temporarily prohibited from access. the visitors had to disembark tourist boats to take refuge millions pacific residents evacuated after on firm land.

In Peru. more than half of the ports, 65 out of 121, were closed and the suspension of fishing activities was recommended, while the inhabitants were encouraged to move away from the ocean.

The first waves. which should not, according to local specialists, not exceed 3 meters in height, were to arrive at the port of La Cruz, in the region of Tumbes, on the border with Ecuador, on Wednesday in the morning. Several measuring a meter. a half high have started to touch the island of Nuku Hiva, in the Marquesas archipelago, in French Polynesia.

The United States has issued a series of alerts of different levels in Alaska and to California. Sirens sounded near the famous Waikiki beach in Hawaii, where an AFP photographer saw people fleeing to more altitude. The tsunami alert level was finally demoted to that of calling for vigilance. the evacuation order of certain millions pacific residents evacuated after flooding coastal areas has been canceled.