A massive magnitude 8.8 earthquake struck off the coast of Russia on Tuesday, sparking tsunami warnings -- and evacuations of coastal areas -- in Hawaii and alerts for other areas of the U.S. West Coast.

Hours after a massive 8.8 magnitude earthquake struck near the Russian coast, becoming one of the strongest tremors ever recorded, tsunami waves arrived in Hawaii and the U.S. West Coast following efforts to get hundreds of thousands away from coastlines and to higher ground.

Tsunami warnings have been issued in several countries after an 8.8-magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of Russia, with millions evacuated across Russia, the US and Japan