Russia earthquake sees travel advice update for 17 countries

The 8.8-magnitude earthquake hit the east coast of Russia on Wednesday (July 30), at 12.25am BST.

It has caused tsunami waves in Japan and Alaska and prompted warnings for Hawaii, North and Central America and the Pacific islands south toward New Zealand.

Following the tremor, fresh travel guidance has been issued for those heading to a number of countries.

A magnitude 8.8 earthquake hit off Russia’s coast on Wednesday, tying for the sixth-largest quake ever. It’s the strongest since 2011’s magnitude 9.1 quake off Japan, which triggered a tsunami and Fukushima disaster.#Russia #Earthquake #Tsunami #DIU pic.twitter.com/5WxdGwDtG1

— IndiaToday (@IndiaToday) July 30, 2025

Russia earthquake sees travel advice update for 17 countries

Following the earthquake, the UK Foreign Office has issued updates for the following countries:

• Russia
• Chile
• Costa Rica
• French Polynesia
• USA
• Japan
• Kiribati
• Peru
• Samoa
• Solomon Islands
• Ecuador
• New Zealand
• Tonga
• China
• Taiwan
• Canada

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In a statement, the Foreign Office said: “An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 8.7 has struck the eastern coast of Russia in the Kamchatka Peninsula region.

“A tsunami threat message has been issued by the Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre.

“If you are in the affected areas potentially affected by the earthquake or tsunami, you should follow the advice of the local authorities.”

Tsunami warnings issued after earthquake in Russia

The earthquake had a preliminary magnitude of 8.0, but was later updated to 8.8.

It has caused tsunami waves in Japan and Alaska and prompted warnings for Hawaii, North and Central America and the Pacific islands south toward New Zealand.

Ports on the Kamchatka Peninsula in Russia near the quake’s epicentre were flooded as residents fled inland, and white waves washed up to the shore in northern Japan.

#Tsunami wave arrival times for Hawaii and the west coast of the U.S. pic.twitter.com/qDfHXKqnX3

— Chase Thomason (@ChaseThomason) July 30, 2025

The quake was centred about 74 miles east-southeast of the Russian city of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, which has a population of 180,000, on the Kamchatka Peninsula. Multiple aftershocks as strong as 6.9 magnitude followed.

The first tsunami wave hit the coastal area of Severo-Kurilsk, the main settlement on Russia’s Kuril Islands in the Pacific, according to the local governor Valery Limarenko.

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The earthquake appears to be the strongest anywhere in the world since the 9.0 magnitude earthquake off north-eastern Japan in March 2011.

The incident caused a massive tsunami that set off meltdowns at a nuclear power plant.

Only a few stronger earthquakes have ever been measured around the world.