Pacific tsunami: French Polynesia threatened by 2.6-meter wave
Some coasts of the Polynesian archipelago could be affected by an ocean wave currently heading towards the Marquesas Islands, according to the American Tsunami Center.
Waves of one to three meters are possible along some coasts of French Polynesia, the US Tsunami Center (PTWC) warned, after an earthquake struck Tuesday off the Russian coast of the Kamchatka Peninsula (east).
"Tsunami waves of up to one to three meters above sea level are possible along some coasts" of several Pacific territories, including French Polynesia, the PTWC, based in Honolulu, Hawaii, said in a statement.
Skip the ad"The Geophysics Laboratory informed the High Commissioner of the Republic in French Polynesia of a potential impact" on the territory, during the night of Tuesday to Wednesday, the authorities announced.
The High Commission stated that "an ocean wave" was heading "towards the coasts of the Marquesas, with a maximum height of 2.60m . " "The other archipelagos of French Polynesia, notably the Leeward Islands, should be affected by a water height of less than 30cm," it added.
The US tsunami center also said New Caledonia and Wallis and Futuna could be hit by waves ranging from "30 centimeters to one meter" above sea level.
The powerful 8.8-magnitude earthquake struck around 23:25 GMT on Tuesday at a depth of 18.2 kilometers (11.3 miles), about 126 kilometers (78 miles) from the city of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, capital of Russia's Kamchatka region. It triggered tsunami warnings across much of the Pacific, including Russia, Japan, Hawaii, and as far away as Ecuador.
Japanese authorities have warned that waves of up to 3 meters could hit the archipelago's coasts.
Skip the adThe U.S. Tsunami Center has warned of a risk of waves exceeding three meters high on parts of the Russian coast and the Hawaiian archipelago. All U.S. Pacific coasts, from Alaska to Hawaii to California, are affected by various alert levels.
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