Evacuation orders issued in Japan after powerful earthquake triggers tsunami warning

A powerful magnitude-7.6 earthquakestruck off Japan’s northeastern coast on Monday, triggering evacuation orders and a tsunami warning for parts of the coastline.

A tsunami of almost 10 feet (3 meters) could hit some areas of the coast, including Iwate, Aomori and parts of Hokkaido, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA). A 16-inch (40cm) tsunami height has already been observed in Aomori and Hokkaido, JMA said.

The agency said in an update early Tuesday local time that a 2.3-foot (0.7 meter) tsunami height has also been observed at Kuji port in Iwate. JMA warned that tsunami height could increase in the coming hours.

There were no immediate reports of casualties or significant damage.

The United States Geological Survey (USGS) said the earthquake struck at 11.15 p.m. local time (9.15 a.m. ET) around 44 miles (70km) off the coast of the country and at a depth of around 33 miles.
A CNN team in Japan’s capital Tokyo felt strong tremors during the earthquake, which lasted for longer than 30 seconds.

Minoru Kihara, Japan’s chief cabinet secretary, urged people in affected areas to evacuate to higher ground or move to safe buildings, such as evacuation shelters.

There have been no reports of “abnormalities at this time” at the country’s Higashidōri and Onagawa nuclear power plants, Kihara said. “We have received reports that other nuclear facilities are currently being checked,” he added.

Japan’s new Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, who was elected in October, said her government would work closely with local officials to assess the damage and put in place emergency response measures.

The government would be “acting as one under the principle of putting human life first,” she said.

Japan is no stranger to severe earthquakes. It lies on the Ring of Fire, an area of intense seismic and volcanic activity on both sides of the Pacific Ocean. The worst quake in recent Japanese history was the 9.1-magnitude Tohoku earthquake in 2011 that triggered a major tsunami and nuclear disaster.

That quake and tsunami left more than 22,000 people dead or missing and caused reactors at the Fukusima Daiichi nuclear power plant to melt down, releasing radioactive contamination into the surrounding area.

By CNN