People slam claim that 'new Baba Vanga's' prediction of catastrophic event has 'come true' after record-setting earthquake
Social media users have criticized a claim that a prediction for a catastrophic event has come true after a record-setting earthquake struck off the coast of Russia.
The earthquake has been recorded at a magnitude of 8.8, making it tied for the sixth-strongest quake ever recorded, and the strongest since a 9.0 magnitude quake hit Japan in 2011.
Authorities have already issued warnings for people in some coastal regions in the US, Russia, the Philippines, Indonesia, Chile, Peru and Ecuador, where tsunami waves are expected to hit as a result of the disaster.
In the wake of the news, some social media users have drawn comparisons to a prediction made by manga artist Ryo Tatsuki, who detailed a series of visions she'd had in a 1999 book titled The Future I Saw.
What did Tatsuki predict?
Advert
Tatsuki is previously said to have predicted the devastating earthquake and tsunami in Japan in 2011, with her visions earning her the nickname of the 'new Baba Vanga', inspired by the Bulgarian mystic who is believed to have predicted major events such as the 9/11 attacks.
Another of Tatsuki's predictions related to a disaster taking place in July 2025.
In a 'complete edition' of Tatsuki's book published in 2021, she warned that a 'crack will open up under the seabed', and claimed this would send ashore 'waves three times as tall as those from the Tohoku earthquake'.
With tsunami waves in 2011 reaching a maximum run-up height of nearly 40 meters (130 feet), this would suggest waves in Tatsuki's prediction would reach up to 120 meters.
What are people saying about Tatsuki's prediction?
After the earthquake struck today (July 30), one user took to Reddit to claim that her vision had come true.
"Ryo Tatsuki prediction just happened," they wrote, adding: "Ryo Tatsuki predicted a tsunami in Japan on July 2025. next prediction is on 2026."
However, other social media users aren't so sure.
Many have hit back at the idea that Tatsuki's prediction has come true, pointing to a number of inconsistencies in relation to today's event.
Firstly, Tatsuki predicted that the crack would open 'between Japan and the Philippines'.
While both countries have been issued warnings for tsunami waves, the earthquake itself about 74 miles (119 kilometers) southeast of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, on the Kamchatka Peninsula in far east Russia.
Tatsuki also claimed the event would strike on July 5, and said it would result in Japan's oceans 'boiling'.
With these differences in mind, users hit back at the original post on Reddit.
One person wrote: "No she did not. She predicted an underwater volcano between Japan and Philippines. And way more destructive."
Another added: "I just looked it up [...] the date is wrong, the location is wrong, and while the tsunami effects remain to be seen, it seems unlikely that they will be worse than the 2011 tsunami because the quake is a bit smaller and the epicenter much further away."
However, other Reddit users argued there were some eerie similarities to Tatsuki's prediction, with one commenting: "To all the haters, getting approx prediction is crazy too.
"She gets her prediction via dream and dreams can be a bit fuzzy and hard to clearly see. She did predicted tsunami and here it is."
What happened when the earthquake struck?
As well as setting off tsunami alerts across the globe, the earthquake was followed quickly by two powerful aftershocks of 6.3 and 6.9 magnitudes, which both struck off the coast of Russia within an hour after the first.
Dozens more aftershocks continued in the following hours.
The earthquake has already caused several tsunami waves to hit Hawaii, with some waves reaching as high as 1.3 meters. Waves have also been reported in Japan, Russia and Alaska.
Topics: Russia, Social Media, Japan, World News, Reddit, Viral
Emily Brown