Tsunami Hits Russia, Japan After 8.7 Magnitude Earthquake In Pacific Ocean

Tsunami warning sirens blared Tuesday in Honolulu and people were told to move to higher ground.

The Japan Meteorological Agency said a first tsunami wave of about 30 centimeters (about 1 foot) reached Nemuro on the eastern coast of Hokkaido.

The first tsunami wave hit the coastal area of Severo-Kurilsk, the main settlement on Russia's Kuril Islands in the Pacific, according to the local governor Valery Limarenko. He said residents were safe and staying on high ground until the threat of a repeat wave was gone.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said waves of 1 to 3 meters (yards) above tide level were possible along some coastal areas of Hawaii, Chile, Japan and the Solomon Islands. Waves of more than 3 meters (yards) were possible along some coastal areas of Russia and Ecuador.

Urgent action should be taken to protect lives and property," the warning stated. The first waves were expected around 7 p.m. Tuesday local time.

The quake at 8:25 a.m. Japan time had a preliminary magnitude of 8.0, Japan and U.S. seismologists said. Japan and the U.S. Geological Survey later updated their measurements to 8.7 magnitude and the USGS said the quake occurred at a depth of 19.3 kilometers (12 miles).

The quake was about 250 kilometers (160 miles) away from Hokkaido, the northernmost of Japan's four big islands, and was felt only slightly, according to Japan's NHK television.