One of the most powerful earthquakes ever recorded has sent a tsunami crashing into a Russian port and smaller waves barreling across the Pacific to the Americas and south to New Zealand.

After an 8.8-magnitude earthquake off the coast of Russia’s Kamchatka peninsula, early tsunami warning systems kicked in and helped millions of people safely evacuate

Damage and evacuations were reported in the Russian regions nearest the quake's epicentre on the Kamchatka Peninsula. One of the three waves damaged port infrastructure and pulled several moored ships out into the straits, TASS news agency reported.