The United States (US) and Japan have issued tsunami warnings after a powerful earthquake struck off the eastern coast of Russia, the United States Geological Survey (USGS) and Bloomberg report.

According to the USGS, an 8.7-magnitude earthquake struck southeast of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatskiy city on the Kamchatka Peninsula of Russia on Wednesday morning local time.

As a result, a tsunami has been generated that could damage the coasts of all the islands of the US state of Hawaii, the National Weather Service's tsunami warning system said. Residents are urged to take immediate measures to protect lives and property.

Also, the service issued a tsunami warning for the entire west coast of the United States and Canada—including California, Oregon, Washington, British Columbia, and Alaska—as well as the Aleutian Islands, Guam, the Philippines, some islands of Russia and the Pacific, including Yap and the Marshall Islands.

The tsunami warning extends from the California-Mexico border northward until the Alaska Peninsula.

Japan's state broadcaster NHK also has issued a tsunami warning and urged people to leave the coastal areas of the country.

The Japan Meteorological Agency said the tsunami waves could reach three meters in some parts of the country.

To note, the waves had reached nearly 40 meters during the 2011 tsunami that had hit Japan.