Quake sparks tsunami alerts

[Anchor]

A magnitude 8.8 super strong earthquake has occurred near the Kamchatka Peninsula in Russia, northeast of our country and Japan.

This is the sixth strongest earthquake since the 20th century.

The quake triggered a tsunami up to 5 meters high in Sakhalin and even affected Hawaii.

Reporter Park Seok-ho reports.

[Report]

A tsunami, reaching up to 5 meters in height, swept through coastal towns.

Small buildings floated like boats.

Sea lions, startled by falling rocks from coastal cliffs, leapt into the ocean, while hospital staff held onto patients mid-surgery as everything shook.

At 8:24 AM Korean time today, a magnitude 8.8 earthquake struck off the coast of Russia’s eastern Kamchatka Peninsula.

It was followed by aftershocks, including one measuring 7.0 in magnitude.

Because the area is sparsely populated, no casualties have been reported.

[Lebedev Sergei/Russian Kamchatka Minister for Emergency Situations: “This kindergarten had its front wall collapse, but fortunately no one was hurt. The children were not inside the building.”]

The quake, which occurred along the Pacific Ring of Fire, is the sixth strongest recorded since the 20th century.

The impact triggered a tsunami up to 1.7 meters high on Maui Island in Hawaii, about 5,000 kilometers away, six hours after the earthquake.

[Yong Wei/Researcher, U.S. NOAA: “They travel around 700 kilometers per hour which is like a jet plane.”]

In Japan’s Iwate Prefecture, the sea level surged by 1.3 meters, prompting emergency evacuations of coastal residents.

Tsunami warnings were also issued for Ecuador and Chile, though South Korea was unaffected.

Weather authorities across Pacific Rim countries have advised continued caution for about 24 hours, warning of the possibility of second or third tsunamis.

This is Park Seok-ho, KBS News.