A A series of powerful earthquakes shook the coast of Japan this Monday which was forced to release Tsunami Alert and Evacuation Orders In the area most affected by the danger of huge waves.
earthquake, which Also felt in TokyoIt occurred at 04:10 pm local time, on the Noto Peninsula in Ishikawa Prefecture, at a shallow depth and with an initial magnitude of 7.6 in Japanese climbing, but the United States Geological Survey measured it at 7.5.
The earthquake caused fires and left many people trapped under debris on the west coast of Ishikawa, its main island.
Credit, USGS
Japanese officials issued a severe tsunami warning for Ishikawa and a lower level warning for the rest of the west coast as well as its northernmost island, Hokkaido.
Waves higher than 3.28 feet Attack on some areas of Japan. State broadcaster NHK TV warned of torrents of water up to 16.5 feet high and urged people to flee to higher ground or the rooftops of nearby buildings as quickly as possible.
“All residents should immediately move to higher ground,” the NHK television channel urged.
“We know your home and belongings are very dear to you, but your life is more important than anything else. Run to the highest possible areas,” the presenter urged.
However, the Hawaii-based Pacific Tsunami Warning Center reported that the danger had passed. “The threat of a tsunami has largely passed,” the US agency announced.
Given the potential risks, transportation authorities closed highways in the area near the epicenter and Japan Railways announced that high-speed trains between Tokyo and Ishikawa Prefecture were disrupted.
On the other hand, the government specified that no results were recorded at the country’s nuclear power plants.
Tsunami warnings were also issued for North Korea and parts of Russia.
Japanese officials assess damage after powerful earthquake
At least six houses were damaged by the earthquake and people were trapped inside. A fire broke out in Wajima city of Ishikawa Prefecture, and more 30,000 homes left without electricityHiashi noted.
for now No deaths or injuries have been confirmed.The spokesperson said, noting that the situation is still not confusing. He said the army was taking part in the rescue efforts.
Images broadcast by Japanese media showed people running down the street and red smoke billowing fire in a residential neighborhood, In the pictures, a crowd, including a woman carrying a child on her back, can be seen standing next to large cracks in the road pavement.
In a video on social networks destroyed old houses, “This is the Matsunami district of Noto. We are in a terrible situation. Please help us. My city is in a terrible situation,” lamented one man in the recording.
Bullet trains operations suspended In the zone. In addition, parts of the highway were cut off and some water pipes burst, according to NHK. Some mobile phone services were not working in the area.
Takashi Wakabayashi, who works at a grocery store in Ishikawa Prefecture, said some products fell off shelves, but he said the biggest problem was A large number of people went to the establishment to stock up on bottled water, rice balls and bread.
“We have three times more customers than usual,” he said.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida told reporters that Japan’s government has set up a special emergency center to collect information about the earthquake and tsunami and immediately deliver it to residents to ensure their safety.
Kishida reiterated his warning to immediately evacuate the affected areas.
Japan is a country that is highly sensitive to earthquakes. In March 2011, a powerful earthquake and tsunami killed thousands of people and caused a nuclear power plant to malfunction. According to a government spokesperson, nuclear power plants in the affected area did not report irregularities on Monday.
With information from AP and AFP