Russian surgeons stand strong during procedure amid magnitude earthquake

(MENAFN) A team of surgeons in Russia’s Far East continued an open surgical procedure despite being struck by a powerful 8.8-magnitude earthquake, according to regional officials. The quake hit offshore near the Kamchatka Peninsula around 11:30 a.m. local time on Wednesday and was the strongest recorded in the area since 1952, as noted by the Geophysical Service of the Russian Academy of Sciences. A tsunami alert was issued soon afterward.

Security footage from a regional cancer hospital captured the dramatic moment the tremors hit. In the video, medical staff can be seen working to steady the patient—whose abdomen was already open—and securing medical instruments as the room shook. Once the ground settled, the team resumed the procedure without hesitation. The Kamchatka Health Ministry released the video later that day, and it quickly gained widespread attention online.

“In this situation, stopping was not an option,” lead surgeon Lyubov Tsyplakova and her colleague Yana Gvozdeva told Russian media. Gvozdeva explained that the greatest risk during the five to six minutes of shaking was the potential for the patient to regain consciousness while under anesthesia. She confirmed the operation was completed without complications.

In recognition of their dedication and composure under pressure, Kamchatka Region Governor Vladimir Solodov announced plans to nominate the surgical team for state awards.

Kamchatka lies within the Pacific Ring of Fire, a highly seismic region that encircles the Pacific Ocean and contains about 75% of the world’s active volcanoes. The area frequently experiences earthquakes and volcanic eruptions due to its geological activity.

According to the U.S. Geological Survey, the earthquake near Kamchatka was the most powerful anywhere in the world since Japan's 2011 Tohoku disaster and ranks among the ten strongest quakes recorded globally since 1900.

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