The highest-level tsunami notice that Japan had issued after a string of powerful earthquakes on Monday has been lifted, but the country has warned coastal residents not to go back to their homes just yet since devastating waves are still possible.
On the western coast of Honshu, the main island of Japan, buildings collapsed and a fire broke out as a result of the earthquakes, the strongest of which had a magnitude of 7.6. The exact number of casualties was not immediately apparent.
Just after 4 o’clock in the afternoon, the Japan Meteorological Agency reported over a dozen earthquakes in the Japan Sea, off the coast of Ishikawa and other prefectures.
According to Yoshimasa Hayashi, a government official, at least six houses were destroyed in the quakes, and individuals were trapped inside. More than 30,000 homes in Wajima city, Ishikawa Prefecture, lost power due to a fire, he added.
Ishikawa was the first target of the agency’s major tsunami warning, while the remainder of Honshu’s western coast and Hokkaido, the northernmost of the main islands, were issued lower-level advisories or warnings.
Several hours later, the tsunami warning was decreased to a routine one, but the seas may still exceed 10 feet. Additional tremors may hit the same region in the days to come, according to the report.
Initial warnings from Japanese public broadcaster NHK TV indicated that flood levels could exceed 16.5 feet.
Warnings were still being broadcasted hours after the initial caution, and NHK stated that the tsunami waves could keep coming. The area was also shaken by multiple aftershocks.
Hayashi emphasised that those residing in coastal regions must evacuate immediately in order to avoid the approaching tsunami.
“Every second matters. “Please, get out of here to a safe place as soon as possible,” he said.
Even hours after the initial evacuation warning, people have been swept away and drowned while returning to retrieve their valuables. The evacuees will most likely have to spend a few days in stadiums.
According to Hayashi, the situation is still unclear, and there have been no confirmed reports of casualties or injuries related to the earthquakes. Rescue operations were being assisted by the Japanese military, he added.
Footage from a fire in a residential neighbourhood in Japan showed crimson smoke billowing into the sky as people fled the scene. Photographs captured a multitude of individuals, one of them was a mother carrying her infant child, gathered around enormous fissures in the pavement.
Some fleeing individuals reportedly suffered minor injuries as a result of tripping and falling or being struck by items that had fallen from shelves, as reported by NHK.
Although service was partially restored by nightfall, bullet trains in the area were temporarily halted. Water pipes had burst, and portions of the highway were closed as well, as reported by NHK. There were outages in several cell phone networks in the area.
More large earthquakes may strike the region next week, particularly in the next three days, according to a nationally televised news conference by the Meteorological Agency.
The organisation reported that over a dozen powerful earthquakes had been felt in the area, which might trigger landslides and cause homes to collapse.
An employee in Ishikawa Prefecture named Takashi Wakabayashi reported that while some products had fallen from the shelves, the most significant issue was the large number of customers who had flocked to the store to purchase bread, rice balls, and bottled water.
“We are experiencing three times the normal level of customers,” he boasted.
Risers were also put out for certain regions of Russia and North Korea.
In order to quickly disseminate information regarding the earthquakes and tsunamis to communities, the Japanese government has established a dedicated emergency centre, according to Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s statement to media.
One country that is prone to earthquakes is Japan. Nuclear meltdowns occurred at a plant in March 2011 due to a big earthquake and tsunami. A tsunami warning of this scale has not been issued since the 2011 disaster, until the most recent warning.
Nuclear power stations in the impacted region did not record any anomalies on Monday, according to government spokeswoman Hayashi, who talked with media. The region’s monitoring sites did not identify any increases in radiation levels, according to nuclear officials.