Surveillance footage captured the moment that Russian surgeons protected a patient they were operating on as an8.8 magnitude earthquake struckthe country. Medical professionals were performing surgery on a cancer patient at the Kamchatka oncology center in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, located on Russia's far-eastern Kamchatka peninsula, as aquake shookthe operating room on July 29. Oleg Melnikov, the regional minister of health in Kamchatka Krai, posted the footage on social media, according to Storyful. Four staff members worked to secure the patient and equipment as the earthquake rattled the operating room, with one of the doctors leaning over the patient to shield them from falling debris. Melnikov called the medical crew "heroes in white coats." Kamchatka Governor Vladimir Solodov said the doctors would be presented with state awards for courage and dedication, Storyful reported. It's not clear what type of operation was being performed. The quake on July 29 was among the strongest ever recorded and triggered the eruption of a volcano on the Kamchatka peninsula, where a kindergarten building was left badly damaged. Additionally, tsunami waves reached Japan and Alaska, prompting authorities to issue calls for people along the Pacific to move to higher ground and avoid the beach. In Hawaii, officials braced for a tsunami warning, but the alert was subsequently downgraded to an advisory. There have not been reports of severe damage in the state. Homeland Security SecretaryKristi Noemwrote on social media that her team is monitoring the situation in Hawaii, Alaska and California. "Please be careful when returning and watch out for damage," Noem said. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Video shows surgeons protect patient mid-earthquake in Russia
