Authorities in Ecuador’s Galápagos Islands, located about 970km from South America’s western coast, have initiated precautionary evacuations to designated safe zones.

In French Polynesia, anticipated wave heights are expected to stay below 30cm, which means evacuation or seeking shelter is unnecessary.

Most powerful quake since 1952

“It felt as if the walls could cave in at any moment. The shaking persisted continuously for a solid three minutes,” recounted Yaroslav, 25, from the city.

Source: SBS News

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said there had been no casualties in Russia, crediting solid building construction and the smooth operation of alert systems.

Drone footage that has been verified illustrated that the town’s entire coastline was submerged, with taller buildings and certain storage areas encircled by water.

In Yokohama, close to Tokyo, a tsunami warning was broadcasted on television on Wednesday. Source: AAP / AP/Eugene Hoshiko

Volcano eruption

Kamchatka and Russia’s far east sit on the Pacific Ring of Fire, a geologically active region that is prone to earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.