Tsunami waves hit Hawaii, hundreds sleep at Maui aiport

Waves in Kauai following tsunami warning in Hawaii

Video from KTVU reporter Mark Sayre shows waves rolling into a beach on the Hawaiian island of Kauai.

MAUI, Hawaii - One of the strongest earthquakes ever recorded struck off Russia’s sparsely populated Far East early Wednesday, sending tsunami waves into Japan, the U.S. West Coast and Hawaii, where flights on Tuesday night were canceled, causing at least 200 people to sleep at the Maui airport. 

Cars jammed streets and highways in Honolulu on Tuesday, with standstill traffic even in areas away from the sea.

Several people were injured, but none gravely, and no major damage has been reported so far.

Authorities warned the risk from Tuesday's 8.8 magnitude quake could last for hours, and millions of people potentially in the path of the waves were initially told to move away from the shore or seek high ground.

As of Wednesday morning, the worst appeared to have passed for many areas, including the U.S., Japan and Russia. But along South America’s Pacific Coast, new warnings were forcing evacuations in Chile and Colombia.

Tsunami advisories were still in effect on Wednesday for Hawaii and parts of California. 

John Klosser, who used to live in the Bay Area, was at the beach in Maui shortly after the quake hit, sending tsunami alerts throughout the world, including Hawaii.

He recalled the sirens blaring.

"It just sends a chill down your spine," he said. "They're not kidding. They're serious." 

Flights from the Bay Area to Honolulu were delayed, canceled or diverted on Tuesday as well because of the tsunami advisory, but air travel resumed on Wednesday. 

The Associated Press contributed to this report.