7.7-magnitude earthquake off Canada. TSUNAMI caused by the earthquake arrived in Hawaii

7.7-magnitude earthquake off Canada. TSUNAMI caused by the earthquake arrived in Hawaii

Canadian authorities released on Saturday evening, a tsunami alert after a "major earthquake" of 7.7 magnitude offshore the west coast of the country, said Minister of Natural Resources.

Tsunami caused by the earthquake in Canada arrived in Hawaii (United States), on the night of Saturday to Sunday (Sunday, GMT), said an official at the center in case of tsunami alert, AFP reports.

"Tsunami is aseptically to go right now," said Gerard Fryer, a geophysicist at the center. "Enough talk when", he added.

Television broadcast images of island of Oahu shows relatively small waves moving towards the beaches of Hawaii.

But Gerad Fryer warned residents should not be deceived by appearances. "The first wave is never the greatest," he said. Following waves could be much stronger and could cause indundaţii.

"If the waves are high, it will take six or seven hours" before it can raise the alert, the expert added.

UPDATE 10:40 - Approximately 80,000 people live in areas covered by the evacuation of Hawaii

"People are leaving the area, traffic congestion to some extent. I had too much time as it was with other tsunami warning and it came during the night, which slowed down the process somewhat as "Shelly told CNN Kunishige from Hawaii State Civil defense.

UPDATE 10:10 - Three small seismic waves

At least three seismic waves hit the coast of the Canadian province of British Columbia, after a 7.7-magnitude earthquake occurred in the night of Saturday to Sunday near Haida Gwaii, CBC News television channel reported on the website.

The waves did not cause damage, but many people were evacuated in Haida Gwaii and Port Edward, near Prince Rupert. Officials say it is unclear at the moment who is their total number.

Kelly Kryzanowski Management Center for Emergency Situations of British Columbia said the evacuation center was installed in Haida Gwaii.

"In some areas there were blackouts. Having problems with the telephone network. We have no information on the occurrence of damage," said Kryzanowski.

Dennis Sinnott Canadian Institute for Ocean Science said that a 69-centimeter wave was recorded Langara Island off the north-east of Haida Gwaii. Another wave of 55 centimeters Winter Harbour struck the northeast coast of Vancouver Island, while another 12 centimeters was recorded in Tofino, on the west coast of Vancouver Island.

Situation "seems to be stabilizing," said Sinnot. "This does not mean that we have another small wave," he added.

While the tsunami alert level was reduced in British Columbia, attention turns to Hawaii, where the first wave is expected at around 08.28 GMT (10.28 pm Romania).

UPDATE 09:00 - Several villages were evacuated after earthquake off Canada

Several Canadian cities were evacuated on the night of Saturday to Sunday, following the tsunami alert triggered by a "major earthquake" of 7.7 magnitude offshore the west coast of the country.

UPDATE 08:30 - A tsunami threatens Hawaii

A tsunami threatens Hawaii (USA), announced Sunday center in case of tsunami alert.

"A tsunami has formed and could cause damage along the coast all the islands of Hawaii," adds center.

"We have taken emergency measures to protect human life and property," the center.

Tsunami is expected to arrive in Hawaii Sunday at 08.28 GMT (10.28 GMT).

UPDATE 8:20: "The alert is in effect for coastal areas of British Columbia to Alaska from northern Vancouver Island and Cap Decision in Alaska (137 miles southeast of Sitka)," the ministry said in a statement , asking residents in targeted areas to follow the instructions of local authorities on a possible evacuation to higher areas.

The quake struck at 03.04 GMT (05.04 GMT) Haida Gwaii archipelago region (formerly the Queen Charlotte Islands). It was felt in northern British Columbia, including Prince Rupert, Quesnel and Houston, pecizat ministry, which argued that it had received no information on the occurrence of casualties or damage.

According to the American Institute of Geophysics USGS, the epicenter was located 139 kilometers south of Masset.

The quake was followed by at least nine aftershocks with magnitude much smaller than the initial quake, according to CNN.

Haida Gwaii Islands are an archipelago of about 150 islands located off the coast of British Columbia and are home to approximately 5,000 people.