Tsunami warnings issued for Japan, Philippines and parts of US after 8.8-magnitude earthquake off Russia

The powerful earthquake hit Russia's far eastern Kamchatka Peninsula.

Officials said the tsunami of up to four metres (13 feet) was recorded in the peninsula - leading to evacuations and damaging buildings.

Warnings have been issued for Japan, Hawaii and parts of Alaska.

Kamchatka Governor Vladimir Solodov said: "Today's earthquake was serious and the strongest in decades of tremors."

According to Russia's Tass news agency, many people ran out into the street and cabinets fell inside homes, with mirrors broken and cars swayed on roads.

There were also power outages and mobile phone service failures in the capital of the Kamchatka region.

Japan

In Japan, the first tsunami waves have been observed, with height of up to 40cm on the coast of Hokkaido, the island prefecture next to Russia.

The quake was about 160 miles away from Hokkaido, the northernmost of Japan's four big islands, and was felt only slightly, according to Japan's NHK television.

Tsunami warnings are in place for a major stretch of Japan's eastern Pacific coast - from Hokkaido’s eastern Pacific coast down to Wakayama Prefecture.

The country expects waves as high as three metres to arrive along large coastal areas along the Pacific Ocean.

The US

The National Tsunami Warning Center in Alaska issued a tsunami warning for parts of the Alaska Aleutian Islands.

A tsunami warning was also extended to the US state of Hawaii, while a tsunami "watch" was issued for some parts of the West Coast - including California, Oregon and Washington.

The National Weather Service's Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said a tsunami from the earthquake had been caused that could cause damage along the coastlines of all the Hawaiian islands.

President Donald Trump issued a warning on X to "STAY STRONG AND STAY SAFE".

He wrote: "Due to a massive earthquake that occurred in the Pacific Ocean, a Tsunami Warning is in effect for those living in Hawaii.

"A Tsunami Watch is in effect for Alaska and the Pacific Coast of the United States.

"Japan is also in the way. Please visit https://tsunami.gov for the latest information. STAY STRONG AND STAY SAFE!"

According to the US Geological Survey, the earthquake was shallow at a depth of 19.3 km (12 miles), and was centred about 125 km (80 miles) east-southeast of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky - a city of 165,000 along the coast of Avacha Bay.