A 7.5 magnitude earthquake has hit off the coast of Iwate Prefecture, triggering evacuation orders across multiple prefectures in northern Japan on Monday afternoon,
triggering tsunami warnings across several prefectures and prompting urgent evacuation orders for hundreds of thousands of coastal residents. Authorities have warned that the initial waves may not be the largest, and that the situation remains active. with its epicenter about 100 kilometers off the coast of Iwate Prefecture in northeastern Japan, at a depth of 10 kilometers. Buildings in Tokyo shook for several minutes. The JMA initially recorded the quake at 7.3 before revising it upward twice.
Tsunami Warnings and Evacuations
Japan’s Meteorological Agency has issued a tsunami warning for parts of northern Japan, including Iwate Prefecture and areas of Hokkaido and Aomori, where waves of up to about 10 feet (3 meters) are possible. A wider tsunami advisory is also in place for nearby coastal regions, including Miyagi and Fukushima, with expected waves of up to around 3 feet (1 meter).
Initial waves have already reached shore. The largest so far was about 2.6 feet (80 centimeters) at Kuji Port in Iwate. Other locations have seen smaller waves, including about 1.3 feet (40 centimeters) at Miyako, 1 foot (30 centimeters) at Hachinohe in Aomori, and roughly 8 inches (20 centimeters) at Urakawa in Hokkaido. Officials are warning that these early waves may not be the largest, and stronger surges could still follow.
Television networks across Japan interrupted programming with urgent alerts in both Japanese and English: “Tsunami! Evacuate! Don’t turn back.
source :Travel pirets
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