Moscow [Russia], July 30: A magnitude 8.7 earthquake struck off Russia's Far Eastern Kamchatka Peninsula.
Generating a tsunami of up to 4 metres (13 feet), damaging buildings and prompting evacuation warnings in the area and across most of Japan's east coast, officials said.
It is one of the strongest quakes ever recorded.
The quake occurred at a depth of about 19.3km, and struck at 11.24 am (Fiji time). NZ's National Emergency Management Agency warns that most of the country's coastline may experience "strong, unusual currents and unpredictable surges" because of the quake.
A tsunami with a height of 3-4 metres (10-13 feet) was recorded in certain parts, the regional minister for emergency situations said, urging people to move away from the shoreline of the peninsula.
The U.S. Tsunami Warning System also issued a warning of "hazardous tsunami waves" within the next three hours along some coasts of Russia, Japan, Alaska, and Hawaii, and the rest of the Pacific.
A tsunami watch was also in effect for the U.S. island territory of Guam and other islands of Micronesia.
Source: Fijian Broadcasting Corporation
