The terrifying moment cruise passengers could be seen running to their ship was captured on camera, as a massive earthquake near Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula triggered tsunami warnings in several countries.
Earlier this morning (30 July), a 8.8 magnitude earthquake rocked the coast in Russia’s Far East, prompting evacuation warnings in the US states of Hawaii and Alaska as well as parts of Russia and Japan.
The chaos was captured on social media from tourists in the region, with videos showing panicked passengers attempting to return to their cruise in Hawaii as sirens blasted out.
In one clip, shared by TikToker @demifreeman, travellers can be seen sprinting down the port in an attempt to return to ships, with many people appearing to be left stranded on the port.
“POV: tsunami in Hawaii and your cruise is leaving without people. Actually insane,” she captioned the video, adding: “We are going to be in the middle of the tsunami in the ocean.”
In an interview with the BBC, British holidaymaker Rachael Burrows explained that she’d been on an excursion on one of the Hawaiian islands when she received the notification and immediately made her way back to the cruise ship.
“It was quite scary because all the sirens started going off,” she explained, adding that she was one of the last passengers let back on to her ship.
According to other accounts, stranded passengers were advised to make their way to higher ground and shelter from incoming waves.
In a video shared by @mandythecruiseplanner, she explained that she was one of many passengers who’d missed boarding and had now boarded a bus to higher ground.
“The ship is leaving and now we’re going to higher ground and people are upset,” she told the camera.
Residents and tourists flee to higher ground after a tsunami warning was issued earlier today (EUGENE TANNER/AFP via Getty Images)
How big is the 2025 Kamchatka Peninsula earthquake?
The earthquake has been given a provisional magnitude of 8.8, which means it ranks as the six-highest earthquake on record. According to the US Geological Survey, a 9.0 magnitude quake rocked the region in 1952. The strongest earthquake on record was registered at 9.5, striking Chile in 1960.
Meanwhile, the 2004 earthquake which caused the devastating Indian Ocean tsunami ranks third, which a magnitude of 9.1.
Are there any casualties from the earthquake or resulting tsunami?
According to Russian state media, no casualties have been reported from the initial earthquake despite the severity.
Alerts have since been cancelled in Russia, Hawaii, the Philippines and parts of Japan. Advisories remain in place along the Californian coastline.
