Japan was struck by tsunami waves approaching five feet on Wednesday as the biggest earthquake in 14 years caused millions to evacuate.
Waves struck parts of Russia, Japan and the United States in the aftermath of a magnitude 8.8 earthquake off Russia’s eastern Kamchatka Peninsula.
Nearly two million people were advised to evacuate in Japan this morning, with many leaving by car or on foot to higher ground as a 4.2ft wave hit a port in Iwate.
Evacuation orders were also issued in parts of the U.S. West coast and Colombia as waves approaching 15ft spread across the Pacific Ocean.
Wednesday’s earthquake was the sixth most powerful on record, and the strongest in Kamchatka region since 1952, with aftershocks of up to 7.5 magnitude expected.
It is the largest earthquake globally since 2011, when a 9.1 megaquake hit northeast Japan and left 19,747 people either dead or missing.
Several people were injured by the initial tremor in Russia, with large aftershocks reported through the morning.
Authorities said a tsunami flooded the port town of Severo-Kurilsk. Video showed the town submerged in seawater as the population of around 2,000 was evacuated.
Sirens blared across Hawaii as residents were warned to evacuate or seek shelter on the fourth floor or higher of high rise buildings.
Authorities indicated waves as high as 10 feet, or three meters, above normal tide level could tear through coastal towns within minutes.
Millions of Americans across Guam, California, Washington and Oregon are under various levels of warnings, with tsunami waves expected to land throughout the night.
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