Municipal authorities in Fukushima Prefecture, northeastern Japan, are urging residents of coastal areas to evacuate to higher ground following a powerful earthquake on Tuesday morning.
The Japan Meteorological Agency says the magnitude 7.4 earthquake hit off Fukushima Prefecture around 6 AM. It issued a warning for tsunami of up to 3 meters.
A tsunami of 90 centimeters was observed at Soma Port in the city of Soma after 7 AM.
Firefighting officials in the city of Iwaki said a fire broke out at a petrochemical complex in the district of Nishikimachi, but they have extinguished it at around 6:40 AM.
A municipal official says there have been no reports of damage from the quake in Iwaki, or changes to the sea level according to their observation by cameras.
An official in the town of Shinchi say a community wireless system is being used to tell residents to evacuate.
The official says they had received no reports of damage as of 6:30 AM.
The official says books and clocks fell to the ground following sideway jolts of about 20 seconds. Heavy swaying could be felt as far away as NHK’s broadcast center in Tokyo.
The central government set up a task force at the Prime Minister’s office at 6:02 AM to gather information about the quake.
The intensity of 5 minus in the Japanese scale of 0 to 7 was registered in the town of Kagamiishi and the village of Ten-ei, but there have been no reports of injuries or damage.
East Japan Railway Company says Shinkansen bullet train services have been suspended on the Tohoku, Joetsu and Hokuriku lines.
Current largest tsunami observed
- Sendai-ko: 1.4 m on 08:03 JST
- Soma: 0.9 m on 07:06 JST
- Kuji-ko: 0.8 m 07:54 JST
- Ishinomaki-shi Ayukawa: 0.8 m on 7:39 JST
- Iwaki-shi Onahama: 0.6 m on 06:49 JST
- Oarai: 0.5 m on 07:08 JST
- Miyako: 0.4 m on 08:09 JST
- Ofunato: 0.4 m on 07:56 JST
- Katsuura-shi Okitsu: 0.3 m on 07:03 JST
- Tateyama-shi Mera: 0.3 m on 07:13 JST
- Hachijojima Yaene: 0.3 m on 07:22 JST
- Kamaishi: 0.2 m on 07:15 JST
