Tsunami injures dozens after Japan rocked by 7.5 magnitude quake
A powerful 7.5-magnitude earthquake struck off northern Japan injuring more than 20 people and triggering a tsunami in Pacific coast communities, officials said.
Initial tsunami waves are confirmed to have already hit the coast at Mutsu Ogawara Port, with half-metre waves reported. Those could increase in other areas.
Authorities have warned that another earthquake of more than 6.0 magnitude could hit the country in the next few days.
Japan’s prime minister, Sanae Takaichi, has warned residents of areas that experienced strong shaking today to stay alert for another week regarding new tremors.
Several cases of fires were reported in Aomori, and about 90,000 residents were advised to take shelter at evacuation centres, the Fire and Disaster Management Agency said.
The earthquake was 84km east of Misawa, Japan, with warnings for Hokkaido, Aomori and Iwate issued as a potential three-metre high tsunami is heading towards the coast.
‘I’ve never experienced such a big shaking,’ convenience store owner Nobuo Yamada told the public broadcaster NHK.
The Fire and Disaster Management Agency said 23 people were injured, including one seriously.
Several people were injured at a hotel in the Aomori town of Hachinohe, public broadcaster NHK reported.
Most of the victims were hit by falling objects, NHK reported, adding that several people were injured in a hotel in Hachinohe and a man in Tohoku was slightly hurt when his car fell into a hole.
Locals have been warned to evacuate as quickly as possible, as the tsunami waves can hit repeatedly. Those in the affected areas are urged to keep away from coasts and river mouths, which could overflow.
The quake struck at around 11.15 pm local time, around 50 kilometres beneath the seabed.
The US Geological Survey has also reported that a second 7.6 magnitude quake struck in the city of Misawa.
After the deadly 2011 earthquake in Japan, tsunami waves measured up to 40 metres in some areas. Authorities have said this tsunami will reach a height of up to 3 metres.
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre issued a warning about ‘hazardous’ tsunami waves which could be seen within 1,000km of the epicentre, affecting both Russian and Japanese coasts.
Authorities are checking for risks to nuclear plants
Authorities at nuclear fuel processing plants are working to see if any abnormalities were caused by the earthquake this afternoon.
A nuclear fuel reprocessing plant in the Aomori Prefecture, one in Mutsu City, and another in Higashidori Village are being inspected.
The Onagawa Nuclear Power Plant in Ishinomaki City and Onagawa Town, Miyagi Prefecture, is also being inspected.
Fukushima, which was seriously damaged during the 2011 earthquake and tsunami, is also undergoing checks, according to Tokyo Electric Power Company.
NHK has said there has been no change so far in the readings at monitoring posts measuring radiation levels around the nuclear power plant.
How does this earthquake compare to other large ones?
(Picture: AFP)
The earthquake off the coast of Japan today measured in at a magnitude 7.2 on the Richter scale, but ranks lower in comparison to the largest quakes recorded in history.
The most powerful earthquake on record was in 1960, a magnitude 9.5 recorded in Valdivia, Chile, which killed almost 2,000 people.
In 1964, a magnitude 9.5 earthquake was recorded in Prince William Sound, Alaska, killing 131, mainly in the tsunamis which hit Alaska.
In 2004, an earthquake in the Indian Ocean off the coast of Sumatra measured at a magnitude of 9.1, and led to a deadly tsunami which killed 230,000 people.
The 2011 earthquake in Japan was a 9.1 as well, and sparked tsunami waves of up to 40 metres in some areas, killing thousands.
The 1952 Kamchatka earthquake in Russia was a 9.0 magnitude earthquake and killed around 2,000 to 14,000 people. The true number of casualties is still unknown.
How is the size of an earthquake measured?
Magnitude is the size of the earthquake and is expressed as a number.
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) explains on its website that the time, location, and magnitude of an earthquake can be determined from the data recorded by a seismometer, which records the vibrations that travel through the Earth.
According to USGS, a magnitude 5.3 is a moderate earthquake, while a magnitude 6.3 is a strong earthquake.
The one which hit the coast of Japan moments ago measured in at a magnitude 7.2.
The 2011 Japanese earthquake, which killed over 15,000 and left over 6,000 people injured, had a magnitude of 9.1.
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