Japan: Japan has been struck with a 7.6-magnitude earthquake in the sea. Authorities have issued a tsunami warning in three prefectures on Japan’s central west coast.
Additionally, authorities warned that waves in the nearby prefectures of Niigata and Toyama could reach three meters high and issued tsunami warnings for those areas.
Despite the cold, people were advised to evacuate by large letters flashing on public television, “EVACUATE.”
“We realise your home, your belongings are all precious to you, but your lives are important above everything else. Run to the highest ground possible,” An NHK presenter urged affected viewers.
People have posted videos of people’s houses and subway trains trembling during the earthquake.
The Japan Meteorological Agency reported that a sequence of earthquakes struck the Noto region in the afternoon, beginning with a 5.7 magnitude tremor at 16:06 local time (07:06 GMT). The 7.6-magnitude earthquake and at least five additional tremors occurred within an hour of this.
Mr. Yoshimasa Hayashi, a spokesman for the Japanese government, has advised citizens to get ready for more earthquakes.
There has been “no abnormality” in the nuclear plants in the affected area, according to Kansai Electric, the country’s largest nuclear power company.
The meteorological agency of South Korea has issued a warning, stating that between 18:29 and 19:17 local time, waves as high as 0.3 metres could crash into the country’s east coast.
According to its official news agency TASS, Russia has issued tsunami warnings for the port cities of Vladivostok and Nakhodka in its far east.
A 9.0-magnitude earthquake and subsequent tsunami devastated northeastern coastal communities in Japan in 2011, killing nearly 18,000 people and uprooting tens of thousands more. The most catastrophic nuclear accident since Chornobyl was caused by a nuclear meltdown at the Fukushima power plant as a result of the tsunami.
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