Russian surgeons continue with surgery during earthquake
(MENAFN) Surgeons in Russia’s Far East displayed remarkable composure as they continued a complex operation during a powerful 8.8-magnitude earthquake that struck off Kamchatka’s coast on Wednesday, regional officials confirmed.
The undersea quake, the strongest in the area since 1952, occurred around 11:30 a.m. local time and prompted a tsunami warning, according to the Russian Academy of Sciences' Geophysical Service.
CCTV footage from a regional cancer center showed the dramatic scene as tremors rocked the operating room. With the patient’s abdomen open, doctors swiftly stabilized the situation and secured medical instruments. Once the shaking stopped, the team resumed the operation. The video, later shared by the Kamchatka Health Ministry, quickly went viral.
Lead surgeon Lyubov Tsyplakova and assistant Yana Gvozdeva told local media that halting the procedure wasn’t an option. Gvozdeva emphasized that their top priority was preventing the anesthetized patient from regaining consciousness during the five to six minutes of shaking. The operation concluded without complications.
In recognition of their professionalism, Kamchatka Governor Vladimir Solodov announced that the team would be nominated for national awards.
Kamchatka lies on the Pacific Ring of Fire, a seismically active region responsible for 75% of the world’s volcanoes. Earthquakes and volcanic eruptions are frequent in the area.
The U.S. Geological Survey identified the quake as the world’s most powerful since Japan’s 2011 Tohoku disaster and ranked it among the top ten strongest since 1900.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov reported no casualties and only minor infrastructure damage, attributing the outcome to strong building codes and reliable warning systems.
In the quake’s aftermath, Kamchatka’s Klyuchevskoy volcano began erupting, while several aftershocks ranging from magnitude 5.0 to 6.0 were recorded within minutes of each other. Seismologists noted the epicenters were between 212km and 402km from Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky.
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