A massive 8.8 magnitude earthquake struck off Russia’s remote east coast Wednesday local time, sending tsunami waves coursing across the Pacific as millions of people from around the world were urged to evacuate to higher ground.

Regional authorities in Sakhalin Oblast declared an emergency after a tsunami hit the Kuril Islands, and Kamchatka region was watching for volcanic activity.

A powerful magnitude 8.8 earthquake off Russia's Far Eastern Kamchatka Peninsula triggered tsunami waves of up to 5 metres (16 feet) and sparked evacuation orders in Hawaii and across the