Chile upgrades tsunami warning to highest level for much of its Pacific coast

TOKYO (AP) — Chile upgraded its tsunami warning to the highest level early Wednesday for most of its lengthy Pacific coast following a powerful earthquake.

Chile's national emergency service said it was evacuating hundreds of people from coastal areas.

The Education Ministry cancelled classes along much of the coast.

One of the strongest earthquakes ever recorded struck off Russia's sparsely populated Far East early Wednesday, sending tsunami waves into Japan, Hawaii and the US West Coast. Several people were injured, but none gravely, and no major damage has been reported so far.

Authorities warned the risk from the 8.8 magnitude quake could last for hours, and millions of people potentially in the path of the waves were initially told to move away from the shore or seek high ground.

But the danger already appeared to be lessening in some places, with authorities downgrading their warnings in Hawaii, Japan and parts of Russia.

Residents fled inland as ports flooded on Kamchatka near the quake's epicentre, while frothy, white waves washed up on the shore in northern Japan. Cars jammed streets and highways in Honolulu, with standstill traffic even in areas away from the sea.

People flocked to evacuation centres in affected areas of Japan, with memories fresh of the 2011 earthquake and tsunami that caused reactor meltdowns at a nuclear power plant. No abnormalities in operations at Japan's nuclear plants were reported Wednesday.

Russian authorities said several people were injured, but said all were in stable condition, though they gave few details. In Japan, at least one person was injured.

A tsunami height of 3 to 4 meters (10 to 13 feet) was recorded in Kamchatka, 60 centimetres (2 feet) on Japan's northern island of Hokkaido, while tsunami waves about 2 to 5 feet high reached San Francisco early Wednesday, officials said.

Much of the West Coast, spanning California, Oregon, Washington state, and the Canadian province of British Columbia, were under a tsunami advisory.

Hawaii was still under a tsunami advisory as Wednesday began, but evacuation orders on the Big Island and Oahu, the most populated island, had been lifted.

An advisory means there is the potential for strong currents and dangerous waves, as well as flooding on beaches or in harbours.

The quake struck at 8:25 a.m. Japan time with a magnitude of 8.8 and a depth of about 21 kilometres (13 miles), according to the US Geological Survey.

It was centred about 120 kilometres (75 miles) from the Russian city of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky. Multiple aftershocks as strong as 6.9 magnitude followed.

The earthquake appeared to be the strongest recorded since the 9.0 magnitude earthquake off northeastern Japan in March 2011 that caused a massive tsunami that set off meltdowns at a nuclear power plant. Only a few stronger earthquakes have ever been measured around the world.

Japanese nuclear power plants reported no abnormalities. The operator of the Fukushima Daiichi plant damaged by the 2011 tsunami said about 4,000 workers are taking shelter on higher ground at the plant complex while monitoring remotely to ensure safety.

The tsunami alert disrupted transportation in Japan, with ferries, trains and airports in the affected area suspending or delaying some operations.

A tsunami of 60 centimetres (2 feet) was recorded at Hamanaka town in Hokkaido and Kuji port in Iwate, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency. Several areas reported smaller waves including 20 centimetres (8 inches) in Tokyo Bay five hours after the quake.

Authorities downgraded the tsunami alert, leaving an advisory in place along Japan's Pacific coast.

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