TOKYO, Mar 17 (NNN-NHK) – A 7.3-magnitude earthquake hit north-eastern Japan late last night, leaving several people injured, according to local government.
The temblor occurred at around 11:36 p.m. local time (1436 GMT), with a latitude of 37.7 north, and a longitude of 141.7 east, and at a depth of 60 km. Tsunami waves were observed, after the Japan Meteorological Agency issued a tsunami warning.
Strong shaking was felt in the country’s north-eastern and eastern areas, especially in Miyagi and Fukushima Prefectures, where the quake logged six upper on the Japanese seismic intensity scale which peaks at seven.
Several people in the two prefectures were admitted to hospitals, after suffering from mild injuries, such as a head bump or an injured ankle. So far, there is no official report of deaths.
A tsunami warning of up to one metre was issued to coastal areas, in the Miyagi and Fukushima Prefectures, with residents urged to stay away from the coast.
The earliest tsunami wave arrived at Ishinomaki city in eastern Miyagi Prefecture at 11:50 p.m. local time (1450 GMT), with an estimated height of one metre, and an actual height of 20 cm.
Multiple tsunami waves of estimated one-metre high also arrived around 00:20 a.m. this morning, local time (1520 GMT), in several harbour cities in Miyagi and Fukushima Prefectures.
Transportation disruption was reported following the earthquake as a Tohoku Shinkansen bullet train derailed partly, but passengers aboard were not injured, said the Shinkansen operator.
In addition, east Nippon Expressway Company said, it has closed several sections of the expressways, including the Tohoku Expressway in Osaki, Miyagi Prefecture, and Joban Expressway in Soma, Fukushima.
The quake caused blackout in Fukushima’s Soma, according to the city office.
The capital city of Tokyo also detected strong tremors, and power outage has been reported in parts of Tokyo and nearby areas after the quake.
The Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) and Tohoku Electric Power Network Company said, about 2.2 million homes lost power, among which, about 700,000 households were in Tokyo.
TEPCO, which is also the operator of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, said, workers were checking whether there were damages. The plant’s condition was “basically okay,” according to a government official.
Spent nuclear fuel pool was shut down at Fukushima Daini nuclear plant, following the powerful quake, but a part of the facility has been restored, the operator of the plant said.
Meanwhile, Japan Atomic Power Co. said, it is assessing the situation at its Tokai No. 2 nuclear plant, in nearby Ibaraki Prefecture, and no abnormalities were detected at the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear plant in Niigata prefecture.
The Japanese prime minister’s office set up an emergency centre, in response to the quake. Prime Minister, Fumio Kishida, said, he instructed officials to gather relevant information and make utmost efforts to rescue the injured and respond to those affected by the quake.– NNN-NHK
