Alerts were issued across the Pacific following the 8.8 magnitude quake in Russia's Far East, but no deaths were reported.

A tsunami advisory was also issued for parts of Alaska and the entire West Coast after a powerful earthquake off Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula.

One of the largest earthquakes ever recorded happened off the Russian coast, triggering tsunami warnings from the U.S. west coast to South America. In Hawaii, people clamored to the top of high-rises and a traffic rush headed away from the coast.