Tsunami approaching French Polynesia after 8.8 earthquake off Russia

By Saadet Gokce

ISTANBUL (AA) - President Emmanuel Macron on Wednesday warned that a tsunami is approaching French Polynesia, a French overseas collectivity made up of over 100 islands in the South Pacific.

Macron posted on his X account that local authorities have been mobilized to assist Pacific residents.

The French president urged citizens to follow instructions.

French Defense Minister Sebastien Lecornu had said earlier that armed forces in French Polynesia were on alert as a precaution.

A powerful magnitude 8.8 earthquake off Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula triggered tsunami alerts in several countries.