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People should flee to higher areasStrong earthquake shakes Japan – authorities warn of tsunami
A warning sign for imminent tsunami danger (symbolic image).
Till Simon Nagel/dpa-tmn
A magnitude 7.4 earthquake!
A severe earthquake struck northern Japan on Monday. According to the responsible weather authority (JMA), it had a magnitude of 7.4 and its center was north of Iwate Prefecture in the Pacific. The tremors were also felt in Tokyo, hundreds of kilometers away. Now the Japanese civil protection agency is warning of a tsunami and is asking people to urgently move to higher ground.
Tsunami warning after severe earthquake in Japan! There is a threat of three meter high waves
According to the According to the Japanese Meteorological Agency (JMA), tidal waves of up to three meters high were expectedas Reuters reports. According to broadcaster NHK, only 40 centimeters were initially measured in the port of Miyako in Iwate Prefecture. In Kuji in the same prefecture it was 70 centimeters and rising.
According to NHK, a tsunami was also recorded off the coast of Fukushima Prefecture. On March 11, 2011, a strong earthquake and a massive tsunami triggered the Fukushima nuclear disaster.
The tsunami warning was in effect for Iwate, Aomori Hokkaido prefectures. Authorities urged residents to stay away from the coast. According to dpa, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi called on people in the affected areas to immediately move to higher ground.
Victims and damage? The effects of the earthquake are currently being assessed
The Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said a task force was checking whether there were any casualties and damage. Energy suppliers said they were investigating possible impacts on their nuclear power plants. Initially, according to Reuters, there were no indications of problems.
On the Japanese earthquake impact scale, the tremors were at a level where, in many cases, unreinforced concrete walls could collapse. The epicenter was in the Pacific at a depth of around ten kilometers. Earthquakes occur very frequently in Japan.
Because of the tremors, high-speed train connections in Aomori on the northern tip of the Japanese main island of Honshu were interrupted, the Kyodo news agency reported. The broadcaster NHK showed ships leaving the port of Hachinohe in anticipation of the tidal waves.
Meanwhile, the nuclear power plant operators Hokkaido Electric and Tohoku Electric gave the all-clear for the time being: No unusual incidents were detected at various nuclear power plants. The test results from other suppliers were still pending.
Sources used: AFP news agency, Reuters, dpa
