Japan Hit by A Powerful Earthquake At least four people died, and more than 100 were injured as an earthquake of 7.4 magnitude shook eastern Japan late Wednesday night. The earthquake cut the electricity supply of millions of homes as well.
The earthquake was felt in the city of Soma, Fukushima, following which the government is on high alert as they fear more tremors may be felt across the region over the next few days. An aftershock of 5.6 magnitude hit an hour later at 1 a.m. on Thursday.
The eastern prefecture of Fukushima has been devastated by a powerful quake and tsunami that led to the meltdown in a nuclear power plant 11 years ago.
Tsunami warnings were issued in Fukushima and Miyagi prefectures.
The Japan Meteorological Agency issued tsunami warnings in Fukushima and Miyagi after the earthquake. Although the Meteorological Agency revoked the warnings on Thursday morning, some areas reported a rise in the sea level. There has been no severe damage.
The Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida says no abnormalities had been detected in any of the nation’s nuclear power plants. The earthquake hit the country just days after the eleventh anniversary of the nuclear disaster that occurred at the Fukushima nuclear reactor in 2011.
The epicentre of the quake had a preliminary depth of 60 kilometres (37 miles), reported Japan’s Meteorological Agency. The Agency warned the citizens of tsunami heights crossing 1 meter above the normal tide levels as the initial waves reached the shore around midnight.
An 8-inch tsunami struck the coastline of the Miyagi prefecture about an hour and a half after the earthquake. Residents in the affected areas hurried to take shelter in places away from the coast.
Four reported dead as injured are rushed to hospitals in Soma as power cut affects millions of homes.
Nearly two million homes lost power as the buildings shook violently in the eastern parts of Japan. Tens of thousands of households are still facing power outages, more than 12 hours after the earthquake first hit.
The power was back within three hours in several areas of Tokyo, but approximately 24,000 homes, serviced by the Tohuku Electric Power Co. remained without electricity till 10 a.m. on Thursday.
A bullet train derailed near Fukushima due to the earthquake. However, no injuries were reported. According to a public broadcaster, NHK, 78 people were trapped after the high-speed train derailed for nearly four hours. All of them managed to escape unscathed through an emergency exit.
The people injured due to the earthquake have been taken to a hospital in Soma city in the Fukushima prefecture. There is no confirmation about the exact number of people injured.
Injuries were reported from Iwate, Akita, Yamagata, Ibaraki, Tochigi, Saitama, Kanagawa, Yamanashi, Chiba and Niigata prefectures, and addition to Miyagi and Fukushima.
The government urges people to stay on high alert.
Masaki Nakamura, an official from the Meteorological Agency, urged the citizens to be watchful and look out for more seismic activity in the next few days.
Residents living near the coast were advised to stay away from the coast and prevent entering the sea until all advisories regarding the tsunami were lifted.
“We are still trying to understand the situation and collect information. The government will come together to save people’s lives and make all-out efforts to provide safety and accurate information.”
Said the Japanese PM.
Japanese officials have also set out to assess the damage to the nuclear plants in the region. The official confirmed that there were no abnormalities at the plants located in the Miyagi, Ibaraki or the Onagawa prefectures.
