A dormant volcano in Russia’s Kamchatka region has dramatically erupted after six centuries, hurling a 29,000-ft ash plume into the atmosphere. The Krasheninnikov Volcano began spewing molten lava overnight.

This eruption follows Wednesday’s devastating 8.8 magnitude earthquake that battered the nation’s Far East coastline, unleashing tsunami waves that swamped a fishing harbour, knocked out electricity across several districts, and sent terrified locals scrambling from their homes. The powerful tremor also triggered Klyuchevskoy – the region’s most volatile volcano – while tsunami warnings were issued in Japan, Hawaii, and America’s western seaboard.

Tsunami heights reaching 10 to 13ft were measured in Kamchatka, whilst Japan’s northern Hokkaido island recorded 2ft waves, and San Francisco experienced surges of 2 to 5ft, according to officials.

Vast stretches of America’s Pacific coast, encompassing California, Oregon, Washington state, and Canada’s British Columbia province, were placed under tsunami alert, though no significant destruction was recorded.

Speaking to Russia’s RIA state news agency today, Olga Girina, chief of the Kamchatka Volcanic Eruption Response Team, confirmed the historic event: “This is the first historically confirmed eruption of Krasheninnikov Volcano in 600 years.”

Writing on Telegram, she noted that the last recorded eruption from the volcano was in 1463.