Image source, Reuters

At 11:25 local time on Wednesday (00:25 BST), the sixth most severe earthquake in recorded history struck off Russia's far eastern coast.

About 17 hours later, the worst threat appears to have passed.

With a massive magnitude of 8.8, the earthquake near Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula sent tsunami waves towards Japan, Hawaii and the US west coast.

In the following hours, more than two million people across the Pacific were ordered to evacuate, with alerts also issued in China, the Philippines, Indonesia, New Zealand and as far as Peru, Chile and Mexico.

"The disaster we were expecting did not come," a Hawaii tourist told the BBC, half a day after the quake struck. The Russian government says there has been no casualties.

As international alerts are lifted, we are ending our live coverage.

We'll be keeping our eyes on any further tsunami and earthquake updates here.

Esme Stallard
Climate and science reporter

The earthquake occurred in a part of the world called the Pacific Ring of Fire. It is what we call a "seismically active" part of the world.

The upper layers of the Earth are split into sections – tectonic plates – which are all moving relative to one another. This movement releases energy in the form of earthquakes.

The Pacific Ring of Fire is an arc of these plates that extend round the Pacific. It gets its name from the high amount of earthquakes and volcanoes experienced here. About 80% of the world's earthquakes occur along the ring, according to the British Geological Survey.

Kamchatka lies close to one of these plate boundaries, as does Japan, the Philippines, and the Pacific coast of much of the Americas.

The earthquake that occurred this morning (local time) is the joint sixth largest ever recorded along with previous ones off the coasts of Chile and Ecuador. The fifth largest, a 9.0 earthquake, also occurred near Kamchatka in 1952. It resulted in a 12m high Tsunami to the south of the peninsula.

Image source, BGS/UKRI

Steve Rosenberg
Russia editor

The Kamchatka Peninsula is used to tremors. It’s an area of high seismic activity.

But an earthquake of such magnitude is rare.

Dramatic mobile phone video posted online shows apartments shaking violently and residents clearly distraught.

A video from inside a cancer hospital shows an operating theatre shaking during an operation. The surgical team remained calm throughout and held the patient still until the tremor was over. The local authorities have recommended the doctors for state awards.

In a statement the Governor of Kamchatka Territory, Vladimir Solodov, said these were the "strongest tremors in decades". He called on residents to "stay calm".

Despite the strength of the earthquake, no deaths were reported according to the Kremlin's spokesperson.

But tsunami waves more than 5m high struck the town of Severo-Kurilsk, flooding the port and washing away more than a dozen boats.

It was reported later that, following the earthquake, the Klyuchevskoy Volcano on Kamchatka Peninsula had begun erupting.

Russian seismologists are expecting further aftershocks in the coming days.

Esme Stallard
Climate and science reporter

This earthquake has been measured as an 8.8 according to the US Geological Survey – which they say makes it the sixth largest recorded in history.

The scale that geologists use to measure earthquakes is called the Moment Magnitude scale.

It looks at various physical features like how much ground was moved, by how far, and how strong is the rock material being moved.

This is all worked out by analysing the waves produced from the ground shaking.

The scale is logarithmic which means that each increase in number is equivalent to a ten-fold increase in size. So an earthquake measuring 8 on the scale is 10 times bigger than one measured at 7.

Peru has closed 65 of its 125 Pacific ports amid a tsunami warning.

Some roads have also been closed near to a beach in Lima, Peru's capital.

Peru's national emergency centre says waves should reach the northern, central and southern ports between 10:10 local time (16:10 BST) and 12:31 (18:31 BST).

Image source, Reuters

The threat of a major tsunami hitting the US has passed, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem says.

But she notes that alerts are still in place for parts of the West Coast, but "we anticipate it will be minimum impact".

The National Weather Service advises people in areas still under alert to stay away from the sea and beaches.

Mark Poynting
Climate and science reporter

The deeper the water, the faster tsunami waves move.

A tsunami can travel at more than 500mph (800km/h) in the deep ocean, about as fast as a passenger aeroplane.

Out in deep water, the distance between waves is very long and the waves aren’t very high – rarely more than a metre.

If you were out in a boat in the deep ocean, you might not notice a tsunami as it passes beneath you.

But as a tsunami enters shallow water near land, it slows down, often to about 20-30mph.

The distance between waves shortens, and waves grow in height.

This can effectively become a wall of water, leading to potentially devastating flooding.

A tsunami arrives at the coast as a series of crests and troughs – the highest and lowest parts of the wave.

If the trough arrives first, then the water can suddenly recede before rushing onto land.

Local authorities of the Galápagos Islands have announced new provisions to begin preventative evacuations of coastal areas deemed vulnerable to the tsunami threat.

In a statement, the authorities say "prevention and response actions have been intensified" including the evacuation of all "high-impact zones" and directing the population to safe zones.

They add that aviation authorities have been instructed to delay scheduled flights.

The governing council calls on people on the islands to remain calm and follow the instructions of authorities.

Julia Macfarlane
BBC News reporter

I've been speaking to Naima Rao, a local journalist on the island of Guam - which is a US territory about 2,500km south of Tokyo.

The tsunami advisory has been cancelled, but officials warn that minor sea level fluctuations may continue, and that there was still a high risk of rip currents.

"The mood in Guam today was calm, although there was heavy traffic along the main roads as residents close to the coastal and low-lying areas moved further inland," Naima tells me.

"Guam, which regularly sees earthquakes and typhoons, is no stranger to natural disasters although tsunamis are very rare there.

"According to local residents this afternoon, many were carpooling and coordinating evacuation among themselves via WhatsApp in order to move as fast as possible to higher ground after the advisories were issued," the local journalist says.

"As the hours passed with no dangerous waves sighted, residents began returning to their homes and the advisory was cancelled by the evening."

Image source, Reuters

French President Emmanuel Macron has just posted on social media warning of a tsunami "coming to French Polynesia".

He says that all government departments have been mobilised to protect citizens and urges people to follow the instructions of local authorities.

"All my support to the Marquesans and all our compatriots in the Pacific," he says.

As a reminder, French Polynesian authorities have warned of a 4m wave in Nuku Hiva island that is expected any time after 01:00 local time (11:30 BST).

Image source, Kamchatka of Geophysical Survery/Getty Images

North America

• Warnings: Californian coast, from Humboldt to the Oregon border. And in Mexico
• Advisories: Hawaii, coastal areas of Washington and Oregon, South Alaska, Central and West Aleutians from Samalga Pass to Attu, and in California from Humboldt to Rincon Point
• No longer in place: Advisories in the Alaskan Peninsula, East Aleutians and South Akpen from Chignik Bay to Samalga Pass, British Columbia's coast, Vancouver Island and the Juan de Fuca Strait coast

The US National Weather Service has a four-tier alert system for tsunamis - here's what the warnings mean.

South America

• Warnings: Chile, El Salvador, Costa Rica, Nicaragua
• Advisories: Colombia's Pacific coast, Ecuador's Galapagos Islands

Oceania

• Threat alert: Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, the Marquesas Islands Ua Huka, Nuku Hiva and Hiva Oa and Vanuatu
• Advisories: Samoa
• No longer in place: Tonga, Fiji, the Cook Islands, Guam, CNMI and American Samoa

Asia

• Advisories: Pacific coastline of Japan
• No longer in place: Taiwan, Philippines, China's Shanghai and Zhejiang. Warnings in Japan's Pacific coast

Russia

• No longer in place: Kamchatka Peninsula, Sakhalin Island and the town of Severo-Kurilsk in the northern Kuril islands

Natalia Zotova
BBC Russian

Image source, Emergency Situations of Russia Handout/ Getty Images

Vasily Berezhnoy has lived in Kamchatka, Russia, all his life and experienced several earthquakes and volcanic eruptions - but he says he doesn’t remember tremors as strong as today.

"People were in the streets - some in slippers, some in bathrobes, some holding their children. Some were hysterical," he says. "When the ground beneath your feet moves like a wave, when you see pipes and towers swaying - it's terrifying, of course. You can never get used to that."

The 8.8 magnitude earthquake hit near the Kamchatka Peninsula at about 11:25am local time (00:25 BST) on Wednesday and is one of the most powerful ever recorded.

High school student Sofia says she was at home with her parents when the tremors began.

"Chaos broke out, the furniture started falling before our eyes, along with everything on it. I wasn’t the only one panicking - our neighbours, along with their pets, also rushed outside in a panic," she says.

Sofia adds that people who tried to drive away created chaos on the roads, with massive traffic jams and accidents.

José Carlos Cueto
BBC Mundo correspondent, reporting from Colombia

Image source, gett

Several South American nations with Pacific coastlines have issued tsunami alerts and advisories.

In Colombia, the National Unit for Disaster Risk Management downgraded its initial tsunami alert to an advisory for the Pacific coast.

Officials warn of strong currents and waves expected to reach the coastline between 10:00 and 12:00 local time (16:00 and 18:00 BST). Maritime traffic has been restricted, and some coastal areas and beaches have been evacuated as a preventive measure.

In Ecuador, a tsunami advisory was declared for the Galápagos Islands. Maritime activities were suspended, and beaches, docks and low-lying coastal areas were evacuated. The mainland coast remains under observation.

Chile issued a red alert, the highest level, for Pascua Island. A tsunami alert is also in effect for a wide stretch of the country’s northern and central coastline and precautionary advisory was issued for the southern regions of Aysén, Magallanes, and the Chilean Antarctic Territory.

Authorities across the region are urging residents and visitors in affected areas to follow official guidance and remain away from the coast until the threat has passed.

Rozina Sini
BBC News reporter

Sam Jackson, from Birmingham, is on holiday in Hawaii and was on Kaanapali beach in Maui when he first got the tsunami alarm.

“I was unsure and wanted to check whether this was a regular occurrence or was it a major tsunami warning," he tells me. “I felt like this doesn’t feel right. I asked at the hotel and they gave the impression I didn’t need to do anything."

Sam went to an evacuation point where he met a group of Americans. They decided to moved to higher ground on a golf course.

“We were then just looking to see if anything would happen but we couldn’t see much," he adds. “We had repeated updates, but from 18:45 local time there were no other warnings - not even to say 'stay where you are.'

“People were getting restless. People went back to their hotels a lot earlier than what we were advised to."

After the tsunami threat was downgraded, Sam said he was "extremely relieved".

“It was a very surreal feeling," he recalls. “It’s my last day here before I fly back, and I’ve spent it avoiding a tsunami."

Verifying footage of Russia's 8.8 magnitude earthquakepublished at 14:30 British Summer Time

14:30 BST

By Paul Brown, Peter Mwai, Richard Irvine-Brown

BBC Verify has been looking through videos shared online to confirm which genuinely show the impacts of the 8.8 magnitude earthquake that hit Russia's eastern coast and which are older videos.

We’ve verified this video which was shared by the Russian Academy of Sciences, showing seawater surging along the coast. The team used satellite imagery of the harbour at Severo-Kurilsk, in the Kuril Islands to confirm its location.

Image source, Russian Academy of Sciences

We’ve also confirmed a video filmed inside Yelizovo Airport, Kamchatka, is authentic and from today. It shows at least three ceiling panels, each around 10ft long, fall from the ceiling, narrowly missing a person in one instance.

The interior matches publicly available photos of the airport on Google, and reverse image searches found no earlier versions of this footage online.

Separately, an old video showing beluga whales washed ashore is being widely shared online this morning. Although filmed in the same region, BBC Verify has traced it back to at least 2023 – meaning it is not connected to today’s events.

• BBC Verify are analysing more footage related to the earthquake on their live page, which you can follow here

Image source, X

A number of island nations in the South Pacific have downgraded their tsunami warnings.

Tonga says its tsunami alert has been cancelled and "the potential threat to all island groups has passed", saying the threat level "has been deemed low".

And Fiji says its tsunami watch advisory has been cancelled, with the government announcing the "all clear".

"Communities may now resume normal activities," it says, but urges the public to "remain alert" and continue to follow official updates.

The Cook Islands says its tsunami advisory is cancelled as there is "no longer a tsunami threat" and "no significant impacts have been reported".

Samoa's Disaster Management Office says on social media its tsunami watch remains in place, with "wave activity and strong coastal currents" observed in some areas. Authorities advise the public to stay away from coastal areas.

A tsunami advisory that was in place for the southern California coast - from the California-Mexico border to Rincon Point - has been cancelled, the National Tsunami Warning Center says.

A warning still remains along the north coast of the state, from Rincon Point to Humboldt, it adds.

Image source, Getty Images

What happened:

• A massive 8.8 earthquake off the coast of Russia triggered tsunami waves across the Pacific in California, Hawaii and Japan
• The quake occurred off Russia's remote Kamchatka Peninsula and was one of the strongest ever on record - a Kremlin spokesperson said no deaths have been reported
• Tsunami waves reached US shores, with a 1.09m (3.6ft) wave recorded in California's Crescent City

The latest warnings:

• In the last few hours, Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula, Hawaii, the Philippines and Japan have downgraded tsunami warnings - with advisories or forecasts in place for Japan and Hawaii
• Elsewhere, a warning is in place for a 4m wave in Nuku Hiva island, French Polynesian authorities have said, with the wave expected any time after 01:00 local time (11:30 BST)
• Tsunami waves have continued to build along parts of the California coast, according to the National Weather Service in Eureka

The impact:

• A tourist in Hawaii told the BBC the experience was "super nerve wracking" while a lifelong Maui resident said she planned to sleep in a truck, with her husband and two dogs
• Our correspondent in Tokyo describes how thousands of people on Japan's Pacific coast were woken up this morning by sirens
• Our climate and science reporters have looked at what causes a tsunami and how a disappearing plate could have caused the earthquake

Rozina Sini
BBC News reporter

Image source, Sarah Heavenly Sikes

Sarah Heavenly Sikes, who lives in Maui, Hawaii, says she was working at a scuba diving shop when she was alerted to the tsunami.

Sikes, who moved to Hawaii from Minnesota in April, says: “Today I was working at the dive shop and my phone went off. I thought 'oh, it’s just a little warning.'

“But then we had to close the shop. My family is all mainland and so they were messaging."

Sarah explains there was "a lot of anxiety" and describes seeing a "5.7ft (1.7m) wave hitting Kahului".

• As a reminder: Hawaiian officials have downgraded tsunami alerts to an advisory level, and told residents that they may return home with caution

The Japanese meteorological agency has removed all tsunami warnings, downgrading them to advisories.

Now, the whole of Japan has either tsunami advisories or forecasts in place.