Powerful 7.6-magnitude earthquake strikes Japan’s north
A powerful 7.6-magnitude earthquake in northeastern Japan prompted tsunami warnings and orders to evacuate nearly 90,000 residents.
The Japan Meteorological Agency said a three-meter high tsunami could hit Japan’s northeastern coast following the earthquake late Monday.
Tsunami warnings were issued for Hokkaido, Aomori and Iwate prefectures, and tsunamis 20 to 70 cm high were observed in various ports, the agency said.
The agency added that the epicenter of the earthquake was 80 km off the coast of Aomori prefecture, at a depth of 50 km.
On Japan’s 1-7 seismic intensity scale, the tremor in Aomori prefecture was recorded as “upper 6”; This is an earthquake strong enough to make it impossible to stand or move without crawling.
During such tremors, most heavy furniture can collapse, and in many buildings, wall tiles and window panes can be damaged.
East Japan Railway suspended some services in the region, which was also hit by the 9.0 magnitude earthquake in March 2011.
There is little information on major damage, according to public broadcaster NHK.
“There is a possibility of stronger and stronger earthquakes occurring in the next few days,” an agency official said at a briefing.
Utilities said no irregularities were reported at nuclear power plants in the region operated by Tohoku Electric Power and Hokkaido Electric Power.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said the government was urgently assessing the extent of the damage.
“Please evacuate immediately to safe places such as high ground or evacuation buildings,” he wrote to X.
“Even after the tsunami arrives, second and third waves may grow and reach the area, so please pay close attention to tsunami information and stay in safe places until the warning is lifted.”
Japan is one of the most earthquake-prone countries in the world, with a tremor occurring at least every five minutes.
Located in the “Ring of Fire” of volcanoes and oceanic trenches that partially surround the Pacific Basin, Japan is responsible for approximately 20 percent of the world’s earthquakes of magnitude 6.0 or greater.
The northeastern region experienced one of the country’s deadliest earthquakes on March 11, 2011; A magnitude 9.0 tremor occurred under the ocean off the coast of the northern city of Sendai.
It was the most powerful tsunami ever recorded in Japan and triggered a series of massive tsunamis that devastated large swathes of the Pacific coastline and killed nearly 20,000 people.
The 2011 tsunami also damaged the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, sparking a series of explosions and meltdowns in the world’s worst nuclear disaster for 25 years.
via Reuters
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