YUZHNO-SAKHALINSK, July 30. /TASS/. Four tsunami waves were recorded in the Severo-Kurilsky municipal district in Russia’s Sakhalin Region after a powerful earthquake, Mayor Alexander Ovsyannikov said on Wednesday.
"Four tsunami waves swept through, with an almost 200-meter runup on the shore. <...> The tsunami warning has not yet been lifted in the hazard-prone area, which is the territory adjacent to the port. The city [of Severo-Kurilsk] is located in a safe zone. No tsunami warning has been issued for the city," Ovsyannikov said.
Earlier reports stated that a tsunami warning had been issued for the entire Kuril Islands due to the powerful earthquake.
The administration of the Severo-Kurilsky district wrote on its Telegram channel that specialists have initiated the housing survey. The authorities asked residents to report about any disruptions in power or water supply in their houses and urged them to refrain from using kitchen stoves until they are checked by specialists to avoid carbon monoxide poisoning.
The authorities of the Sakhalin Region believe that power and water supply networks may have been affected due to the strong earthquake and subsequent tsunami waves in Severo-Kurilsk. The power supply has been shut down, but will soon be restored. Ovsyannikov earlier said that, according to preliminary data, the buildings sustained no damage. The port of Severo-Kurilsk and a fishing enterprise were flooded by a tsunami wave.
The earthquake occurred in the Pacific Ocean, 360.9 km northeast of Severo-Kurilsk, at 10:30 a.m. local time (11:30 p.m. GMT). The 7.9-magnitude earthquake struck at a depth of 9 km. In the Severo-Kurilsky district, the quakes were felt with an intensity of eight points. The authorities of the Sakhalin Region declared a state of emergency in the quake-hit area.