An 8.8 magnitude earthquake, one of the strongest ever recorded, has hit off the far east of Russia, causing a tsunami - with warnings issued for Japan, China, the Philippines and parts of the US, including Hawaii,

A powerful earthquake that struck off the coast of Russia has generated tsunami warnings and advisories for a broad section of the Pacific, including Alaska, Hawaii and the U.S. West Coast

Past strong earthquakes have caused massive and damaging waves far away, but scientists say these tsunami waves were tame by comparison across the Pacific basin.