Powerful quake in Russia's Far East causes tsunami; Japan and Hawaii order evacuations

"However, due to certain characteristics of the epicentre, the shaking intensity was not as high...as one might expect from such a magnitude," said Danila Chebrov, director of the Kamchatka Branch of the Geophysical Service, on Telegram.

“Aftershocks are currently ongoing...their intensity will remain fairly high. However, stronger tremors are not expected in the near future. The situation is under control.”

Kamchatka and Russia's Far East sit on the Pacific Ring of Fire, a geologically active region that is prone to major earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.

(Reporting by Anusha Shah Nilutpal Timsina and Mrinmay Dey in Bengaluru, Lidia Kelly in Melbourne, Satoshi Sugiyama in Tokyo and Steve Gorman in Los Angeles; Writing by Lincoln Feast; Editing by Stephen Coates)