The 7.7 magnitude earthquake on the Richter scale that struck northern Japan on Monday left at least six people injured, but there were no reports of serious damage, authorities announced today.
At 8:00 AM (00:00 today), the number of injured was six, two of them in serious condition, informed the Japanese Fire and Disaster Management Agency (FDMA).
No fires or damage to major infrastructure were reported, added the agency in a statement. The tremor was re-evaluated to 7.7, after initially being assessed with a magnitude of 7.4. The earthquake occurred at 16:53 on Monday (08:53 in Lisbon) in Pacific waters off the coast of northern Iwate prefecture.
The tremors were so violent that they shook large buildings for more than a minute as far away as Tokyo, several hundred kilometers from the epicenter. The agency issued a tsunami warning and warned that damage caused by the waves was expected.
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An 80-centimeter tsunami wave was observed at 17:34 on Monday (09:34 in Lisbon) in the port of Kuji, located in Iwate prefecture, according to the Japanese meteorological agency. The office of Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi quickly announced it had created a crisis management cell.
Takaichi spoke on television to ask the inhabitants of the areas covered by the alerts to take shelter “in higher and safer places.”
Images from the NHK channel captured on the ground and from the air showed no immediate visible damage around several ports in Iwate. Japan also issued an alert for an earthquake of magnitude greater than 8.0, after a violent tremor struck the north of the archipelago and triggered a tsunami warning.
“The probability of another major earthquake occurring (…) is considered relatively higher than normal,” stated the meteorological agency.
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“In case a major earthquake occurs, there is the possibility of a massive tsunami hitting the coast or of strong aftershocks,” the agency continued.
“Although it is not certain that a major earthquake will actually occur, we ask that you take disaster preparation measures,” declared a government representative to the press.
In March 2011, a 9.0 magnitude earthquake struck Japan’s Pacific coast along the Nankai Trough, an underwater seabed off the country’s coast, and triggered a tsunami that left about 18,500 dead or missing. The government estimates that an earthquake in the Nankai Trough, followed by a tsunami, could kill up to 298,000 people and cause up to two trillion dollars [1.7 trillion euros] in damage.
Japan is located at the junction of four major tectonic plates, on the western edge of the Pacific Ring of Fire, and is among the most seismically active countries in the world.
