Japan has issued a major tsunami warning following a series of strong earthquakes on Monday
A massive earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 7.6 hit Ishikawa and nearby prefectures in central Japan, triggering the tsunami warning the Japan Meteorological Agency reported.
According to the United States Geological Survey (USGS), the earthquake struck at 4:10 p.m. local time at a depth of 10 kilometers (6 miles) around 42 kilometers (26 miles) northeast of Anamizu in Ishikawa prefecture
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Public television flashed “EVACUATE” in big letters, urging residents to flee to higher ground as soon as possible.
Sky News reports: A tsunami around 1m high has struck areas along the Sea of Japan, with waves up to 5m high predicted, according to Japanese broadcaster NHK.
NHK urged people to flee to high ground or the tops of nearby buildings as quickly as possible.
It warned tsunami waves could keep returning and warnings were continuing to be broadcast nearly an hour after the initial alert. Several aftershocks rocked the region.
Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida urged local residents to evacuate immediately following the earthquake.
Government spokesman Yoshimasa Hayashi said it was critical for people in coastal areas to get away from the oncoming tsunami.
“Every minute counts. Please evacuate to a safe area immediately,” he said.
He said nuclear power plants in the area had not reported any irregularities.
More than 36,000 households lost power in Ishikawa and Toyama prefectures, utilities provider Hokuriku Electric Power said.
Warnings of waves up to 1m high were also issued for parts of North Korea and Russia, with Russian officials issuing a tsunami alert for the island of Sakhalin, warning areas across its west coast could be affected by the waves.
