PARIS (Reuters) -Local authorities lifted the tsunami alert in the Marquesas Islands in French Polynesia on Wednesday and said people could return to their homes, but said residents should remain cautious.
Tsunami waves had begun hitting early on Wednesday, but were smaller than initially feared, authorities said. The High Commission of the Republic in French Polynesia said wave heights had reached 1.50 metres, down from a previous forecast of up to 4 metres.
Additional smaller waves were expected in the coming hours, officials said.
The waves follow the powerful 8.8-magnitude earthquake that struck Russia’s Far Eastern Kamchatka Peninsula.
Hours before the first tsunami waves began to hit, residents were urged to go to safe zones, either at higher elevations or far offshore, and stay there until the official alert was lifted.
Nuku Hiva is the largest Marquesas island and about 1,400 km northeast of Tahiti, also part of French Polynesia.
Elsewhere in French Polynesia, wave heights were expected to remain below 30 centimeters, not requiring evacuation or sheltering. However, residents are urged to stay away from shorelines and river mouths.
The Marquesas Islands, among the most remote in the world, have a population of approximately 9,500, according to a 2022 census.
French Polynesia’s five archipelagos comprise 118 islands but have a total land area of only about 4,200 sq km.
(Reporting by Charlotte Van Campenhout, Jean-Stephane Brosse, Ingrid Melander and Makini Brice; Editing by Kevin Liffey, Hugh Lawson and Ros Russell)
