Damage and evacuations were reported in the Russian regions nearest the quake's epicentre on the Kamchatka Peninsula. One of the three waves damaged port infrastructure and pulled several moored ships out into the straits, TASS news agency reported.

T sunami alerts were issued for Alaska, Hawaii and the California 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 powerful 8.8 magnitude earthquake off Russia's far eastern Kamchatka Peninsula has triggered tsunami warnings in Japan and several states in the western United States, including Hawaii, Alaska and California.