Russia declares state of emergency on tsunami-hit islands after quake

Authorities in Russia’s far eastern Sakhalin region declared on Wednesday a state of emergency in the northern Kuril Islands, where tsunami waves have damaged buildings and caused flooding.

“A state of emergency has been declared in the North Kuril District, where an earthquake and tsunami occurred today,” the Sakhalin government said in a statement.

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The mayor of Russia’s northern Kuril islands district said Wednesday that “everyone” there had evacuated to safety.

“Everyone was evacuated. There was enough time, a whole hour. So everyone was evacuated, all the people are in the tsunami safety zone,” Mayor Alexander Ovsyannikov said at a crisis meeting with officials.

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