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Over 1.4 million people were evacuated from Chile’s coastal regions after a powerful 8.8-magnitude earthquake struck off Russia’s Far Eastern Kamchatka Peninsula, triggering tsunami warnings across the Pacific.

The earthquake, among the strongest ever recorded, prompted authorities in multiple Pacific nations to issue emergency alerts. Several Pacific Islands and Latin American nations initiated precautionary evacuations as waves traveled across the ocean.

Chile’s Interior Minister, Alvaro Elizalde, confirmed that the evacuation of 1.4 million citizens is likely the largest in the country's history. “Nationwide, the evacuation level is estimated at 1.4 million people,” he stated during a press briefing after the first tsunami waves reached the Chilean coast.

Officials praised the public’s quick response and the coordination between emergency services as communities moved to higher ground.