A major tsunami warning has been issued in Japan after a 7.6 magnitude earthquake struck the central region on January 1, 2024.
People in coastal areas – particularly in the Noto province – are being urged to flee to higher ground.
Authorities have warned waves could reach as high as 5m in Noto.
They have also issued tsunami warnings for neighbouring Niigata and Toyama prefectures, warning that waves there could reach 3m.
Earthquake leaves 32,500 homes without power
About 32,500 homes in Ishikawa prefecture have lost power, Kyodo news reports, citing local governments.
Officials added that many houses in parts of the prefecture have collapsed
Japan is on alert after a 7.6 magnitude earthquake that struck the central region prompted a major tsunami warning. Here’s what we know so far:
People have been told to flee to higher ground along hundreds of kilometres of the Sea of Japan coastline
Official warnings said the waves in some places could be up to 5m (16ft), but so far the highest recorded has been just over a metre
Reports from the city of Suzu, near the epicentre in Ishikawa prefecture’s Noto region, say multiple buildings have collapsed
Motorways have been closed and bullet trains between Ishikawa prefecture and Tokyo have been suspended
No abnormalities have been reported at nuclear sites in the affected area, the country’s Nuclear Regulation Authority has said.
No irregularities at nuclear plants, regulator says
No irregularities have been reported from nuclear power plants along the Sea of Japan, the country’s Nuclear Regulation Authority has said.
These include five active reactors at Kansai Electric Power’s Ohi and Takahama plants in the Fukui Prefecture.
Hokuriku’s Shika plant in Ishikawa, which was located the closest to the quake’s epicentre, had already halted its two reactors before the quake for regular inspection and saw no impact from the quake, the agency said.
In 2011, the most powerful earthquake ever recorded in Japan – with a magnitude of 9.0 – struck off the country’s eastern coast and triggered a tsunami which killed more than 18,000 people and wiped entire towns off the map.
It also caused a meltdown at the Fukushima nuclear power plant, on the eastern side of the island, the effects of which are still being dealt with today.
Summary
Japan has issued a major tsunami warning after a 7.6 magnitude earthquake struck the central region
Residents in the coastal Noto area in Ishikawa prefecture were asked to “evacuate immediately to higher ground,” national broadcaster NHK said
A succession of more than 20 earthquakes struck central Japan earlier on Monday, with more expected to follow
The tsunami waves, some more than a metre high, have reached the coast in Ishikawa prefecture – but authorities have warned of waves as high as 5m (16ft)
It’s the first time a major tsunami warning has been issued since the 2011 earthquake in Japan
Authorities have also issued tsunami warnings for neighbouring Niigata and Toyama prefectures, warning that waves there could reach 3m
No irregularities have been reported from nuclear power plants along the Sea of Japan, the country’s Nuclear Regulation Authority has said
Source: BBC
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