Tsunami Tsunami Warnings After Massive Quake: Pacific Coasts on High Alert

On Wednesday, fears of a catastrophic tsunami diminished in the United States and Japan after a massive earthquake struck off Russia's sparsely populated Kamchatka peninsula. Despite the quake's record-breaking magnitude of 8.8, the tsunami waves posed less harm than anticipated to these regions.

The quake did, however, trigger new alerts across South America's Pacific coastlines, leading to mass evacuations and beach closures. In Chile, the warning was escalated to its highest level, with President Gabriel Boric cautioning that initial waves might not be the most potent.

Although the US West Coast, Japan, and Hawaii experienced waves, they largely escaped serious damage. Authorities in Hawaii, after a brief evacuation, downgraded their status to an advisory but advised caution due to the potential risks of even relatively small waves.

(With inputs from agencies.)