A tsunami triggered by a historic underwater earthquake off the eastern coast of Russia has impacted Hawaii and the U.S. West Coast, including Washington, Oregon and California, as thousands of people flee to higher ground for safety.

(Reuters) -A magnitude 8.8 earthquake struck off Russia's Far Eastern Kamchatka Peninsula on Wednesday, damaging buildings and generating a tsunami of up to 4 metres (13 feet) that prompted warnings and evacuations stretching across the Pacific Ocean.