Fears of a devastating tsunami across the Pacific faded Wednesday after one of the strongest earthquakes ever recorded struck off a sparsely populated Russian peninsula, but communities along South America’s Pacific coast carried out evacuations and closed beaches.

A tsunami warning issued for Hawaii after one of the strongest earthquakes ever recorded, an 8.8 magnitude in Russia's Far East, was canceled after small waves peaked.

Thousands in Hawaii are evacuating coastal areas after an 8.7 magnitude earthquake near eastern Russia triggered a statewide tsunami warning. Social media shows heavy traffic in Oahu and Honolulu as people move inland.

Tsunami alerts were issued for Alaska and Hawaii on Tuesday after a major, 8.8 magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of Russia, according to officials.

A powerful earthquake off Russia’s coast triggered tsunami waves that reached across the Pacific, prompting evacuations as far as Chile and Peru. Experts explain how sudden shifts in the ocean can send waves traveling more than 500 mph thousands of miles away.