The first tsunami waves have reached Hawaii after an 8.8-magnitude earthquake struck off Russia’s eastern Kamchatka region, writes The Washington Post.

The waves caused no immediate damage, Hawaii Gov. Josh Green (D) told reporters, although he said that it was too soon to be in the clear. “So far we have not seen a wave of consequence, which is of great relief to us”, he said. Warnings are in place for the U.S. West Coast and countries across the Pacific including Japan, where waves as high as 10 feet are forecast.

The earthquake ranks among the top six strongest ever recorded.

The US Tsunami Warning Centres says waves of more than three metres high are possible along some coasts of Ecuador, the northwestern Hawaiian islands and Russia. Waves between one to three metres are possible along some coasts of Chile, Costa Rica, Hawaii, Japan and islands in the Pacific, it adds. Waves of up to one metre were possible elsewhere, including Australia, Colombia, Mexico, New Zealand, Tonga and Taiwan. Japan says its citizens should be on high alert, and 1.9 million people are under evacuation orders.