Emergencies
Strong series of earthquakes in Japan: Warnings of tsunami waves
A torii gate is damaged after an earthquake at a shrine in Kanazawa, Ishikawa Prefecture. photo
© Uncredited/Kyodo News/AP/dpa
The earth is shaking again in Japan and there is another tsunami warning. However, the Japanese were probably spared a catastrophe like 2011.
A series of strong quakes on Japan’s west coast has warnings ahead on New Year’s Day Tsunami triggered tidal waves and caused damage. The Japanese television station NHK warned of a flood wave of up to five meters in the worst-hit Ishikawa prefecture.
Residents were urged to seek safety on high ground or on buildings. According to TV channels, several houses collapsed due to the tremors. The government reported six cases of people being buried alive under rubble. Several people were injured.
At 4:10 p.m. (8:10 CET), the weather authority reported a magnitude 7.6 tremor. The epicenter was at a very shallow depth in the Noto region on the Sea of Japan. The authority then issued a strong tsunami warning for Ishikawa and lower tsunami warnings for the other coastal regions in the west of the archipelago. The first tidal waves of more than one meter were soon recorded in some regions.
The regions were hit by further tremors. According to the central government, there were no irregularities in nuclear power plants. Buildings in the area around the capital Tokyo also began to sway. The government set up a crisis team.
The damages
Individual streets and parking lots were torn up, a fire broke out in a factory, and goods fell off the shelves in individual stores. Power went out in 34,000 households in Ishikawa and other prefectures. There were reports of burst water pipes. Winter temperatures are currently prevailing in the affected region. The operation of high-speed trains was temporarily stopped. The meteorological agency warned of further strong quakes this week, especially in the next two or three days.
Compared to the tsunami disaster in March 2011, the tsunami waves were significantly smaller. At that time, a magnitude 9 seaquake triggered a huge tsunami that devastated large areas in the northeast of the archipelago and killed around 20,000 people. There was a disaster at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. Japan is one of the most earthquake-prone countries in the world.