Tsunami alerts were issued for Alaska, Hawaii and the U.S. West Coast on Tuesday after a major, 8.7 magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of Russia, according to officials.
The earthquake occurred about 85 miles off the east coast of Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula with a depth of nearly 12 miles, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
A warning was announced for Alaska’s Aleutian Islands and Hawaii. California, Oregon and Washington are under a tsunami watch, as well as the U.S. territory of Guam, while the threat is being evaluated.
The first tsunami wave is forecast to reach Hawaii just after 7:15 p.m. local time.
An advisory was also issued for Japan’s Pacific Coast regions from Hokkaido to Kyushu.
Japan’s meteorological agency warned that a tsunami about 1 meter (3 feet) high is expected to reach Hokkaido in the north around 10:00 a.m., local time, with waves arriving later in the day along parts of eastern Honshu and Kyushu in the south.
People are warned to stay away from the coast and river mouths and not to approach the water to observe.
ABC News’ Bonnie Mclean, William Gretsky and Anthony Trotter contributed to this report.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
