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 powerful 8.7-magnitude earthquake struck off Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula on July 29, prompting a cascade of tsunami alerts across the Pacific, with varying responses across the region. The United States Geological Survey (USGS) placed the epicentre 133 km southeast of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky at a depth of 74 km.

Warnings in the first hours after the 8.8 magnitude quake sent residents fleeing to rooftops in Japan and forced tourists out of beachfront hotels in Hawaii, snarling island traffic.

Fears of a devastating tsunami faded Wednesday for the U.S. and Japan after one of the strongest earthquakes ever recorded struck off a sparsely populated Russian peninsula, but new alerts along South America's Pacific coast forced evacuations and closed beaches.

Alerts were issued across the Pacific following the 8.8 magnitude quake in Russia's Far East, but no deaths were reported.

But the danger appeared to be waning in some places, with the US state of Hawaii and Japan downgrading their warnings. Authorities on Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula and Kuril Islands near the quake’s epicentre also cancelled their tsunami warning on Wednesday evening after a flooded seaport town there had earlier been evacuated.

Countries along South America's Pacific coast issued tsunami warnings and called for people to evacuate their homes. Meanwhile, in Japan, the US and Russia, the threat of massive waves has largely passed.

South America and countries in the Pacific downgrade their tsunami warnings but coastal communities are urged to stay alert following a massive Russian earthquake.

An earthquake off Russia's sparsely populated Far East sent tsunami waves into Japan, Hawaii and the U.S. West Coast. Several people were injured.