New Delhi: The outset of 2024 witnessed Japan being struck by a formidable 7.6 magnitude earthquake. Subsequently, the Meteorological Department issued a tsunami warning in response to the seismic event. The quake’s epicenter was reported to be in Noto, Ishikaga, and it is characterized by a shallow depth.
#BreakingNews | Strong earthquake tremors in Japan, intensity of earthquake was 7.5 on Richter scale, tsunami alert issued in Japan #Japan #Earthquake #Tsunami @priyasi90 @thakur_shivangi pic.twitter.com/1S8WoNfWr8 — Zee News (@ZeeNews) January 1, 2024
The Japan Meteorological Agency has issued tsunami warnings for the coastal prefectures of Ishikawa, Niigata and Toyama. Russia also issued tsunami warnings in its far eastern cities of Vladivostok and Nakhodka.
Authorities are still assessing the extent of the damage and residents need to prepare for any more tremors, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said in comments aired on NHK.
“Residents need to stay on alert for further possible quakes and I urge people in areas where tsunamis are expected to evacuate as soon as possible,” Kishida said.
Footage aired by NHK showed a building collapsing in a plume of dust in the coastal city of Suzu and residents in Kanazawa city cowering under tables as tremors shook their home. The quake also jolted buildings in the capital Tokyo on the opposite coast.
More than 36,000 households had lost power in Ishikawa and Toyama prefectures, utilities provider Hokuriku Electric Power said.
High speed rail services to Ishikawa have been suspended while telecom operators Softbank and KDDI reported phone and internet service disruptions in Ishikawa and Niigata, according to their websites.
Japanese airline ANA turned back four planes headed to airports in Toyama and Ishikawa midair after the quake, while Japan Airlines canceled most of the flight services to Niigata and Ishikawa regions for the rest of the day, according to TV Asahi.
Japan’s Nuclear Regulation Authority said no irregularities have been confirmed at nuclear power plants along the Sea of Japan, including five active reactors at Kansai Electric Power’s Ohi and Takahama plants in 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.