A powerful 7.5 magnitude earthquake struck Hawaii on Saturday evening, sparking brief panic and emergency alerts across the island state. The tremor, which occurred at approximately 8:49 p.m. local time, was reportedly triggered by a 7.3 magnitude earthquake that had earlier shaken the Kamchatka Peninsula in eastern Russia.
Both Hawaii and Russia’s Kamchatka region lie along the volatile Pacific Ring of Fire, known for frequent seismic activity. The powerful quake in Russia raised concerns of a potential tsunami across the Pacific region.
In response, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center (PTWC) issued a tsunami watch for Hawaii at 9:03 p.m. However, the alert was later cancelled after careful analysis.
“Based on all available data, there is no tsunami threat to the state of Hawaii,” the agency announced in a final update. “This will be the final message issued for this event unless additional data are received.”
Earlier that day, the US Tsunami Warning System had issued alerts for Russia’s eastern coast following the initial 7.3 quake. Russian emergency officials immediately urged coastal residents, especially near Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, to avoid the shoreline and not to attempt to watch the tsunami if it occurred. Authorities added that the expected wave height was not significant, but caution was strongly advised.
Multiple aftershocks and smaller quakes followed in the Kamchatka region within the hour, heightening concerns but ultimately not resulting in widespread damage or destructive waves.
