"An earthquake off Japan 's northern Pacific coast has rattled some of the country's most popular coastal regions, triggering tsunami alerts and prompting officials to warn of an increased risk of a possible 'megaquake''. The magnitude 7.5 quake struck at 11.15pm local time on Monday, about 80 kilometres off the coast of Aomori Prefecture at a depth of just over 50 kilometres, Japan's Meteorological Agency (JMA) said. Japan sits on the seismically active Pacific "Ring of Fire" and has faced a string of major tremors in recent years, including the 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami that killed nearly 20,000 people."
"In Monday's weather event, at least 30 people were injured, most by falling objects or shattered glass, while a small number of buildings and roads suffered minor damage, the Fire and Disaster Management Agency (FDMA) said. There were no reports of deaths or serious damage to critical infrastructure, and operators said no abnormalities were detected at nearby nuclear power plants. Tsunami warnings of up to three metres were issued for parts of the northern Pacific coast, forcing around 90,000 residents in Hokkaido, Aomori and Iwate prefectures to move to higher ground or evacuation centres as sirens sounded through the night. Tsunami waves of up to 70cm were later observed at several ports before warnings were downgraded and lifted early on Tuesday morning."
A magnitude 7.5 earthquake struck about 80 kilometres off Aomori Prefecture at a depth of just over 50 kilometres, triggering tsunami alerts along the northern Pacific coast. At least 30 people sustained injuries, mainly from falling objects or shattered glass, and minor damage affected some buildings and roads. No deaths or major infrastructure failures were reported, and nearby nuclear plants showed no abnormalities. Tsunami warnings up to three metres forced about 90,000 residents in Hokkaido, Aomori and Iwate to evacuate; observed waves reached about 70cm before warnings were downgraded and lifted. A subsequent earthquake advisory raised the short-term probability of a larger magnitude event along parts of the Pacific coast, and officials urged coastal municipalities to review evacuation plans and remain alert.
Read at CN Traveller
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]