A powerful magnitude 7.5 earthquake struck off Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula early Sunday, just 19 minutes after a 7.0 quake in the same region. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center issued alerts for Japan and Hawaii, warning of possible tsunami waves within 300 km of the epicenter. Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, home to 180,000 people, lies dangerously close to the quake zone. Japan reported tidal changes but no major damage. The volatile Kuril-Kamchatka trench remains one of the world’s most active seismic zones.
