Magnitude 7.6 earthquake hits western Japan, tsunami warning triggered

A 7.5 magnitude earthquake hit Ishikawa in central Japan on Monday afternoon, triggering a tsunami warning as far away as eastern Russia.

Meanwhile, the authorities have urged people to evacuate affected coastal areas of Japan, reported Reuters and CNN.

Public broadcaster NHK reported that a tsunami around 1 metre high struck parts of the west coast along the Sea of Japan.

According to the United States Geological Survey (USGS), the tremor struck at 4:10pm (local time) at a depth of 10 kilometers in the Noto Peninsula of Ishikawa prefecture.

The massive earthquake also collapsed buildings and caused fires.

Tsunami alerts along coastal regions of western Japan were issued by the Japan Meteorological Agency immediately. The first waves started reaching the coast just over 10 minutes later.

Some of the first reports, which came from the city of Wajima in Ishikawa prefecture, saw tsunami waves of around 1.2 meters around 4:21 pm, according to Japanese public broadcaster NHK.

Japan Defense Minister Minoru Kihara said the ministry dispatched 1,000 military personnel to help with the rescue and recovery efforts.

Police in Suzu city told reporters that buildings have been damaged and there were reports of injuries while some people were trapped in damaged houses, according to NHK. However, there were no reports of deaths so far.

Quoting Hospital officials in Suzu, NHK reported that they received injured people, but some doctors were unable to make it to work because of damaged roads.

Earlier, Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi in a televised address urged people living in areas under tsunami alerts to evacuate to higher ground.

When the quake hit Ishikawa prefecture, footage from NHK showed cameras shaking vigorously as waves slammed into the coastline

The earthquake also rocked houses, collapsed roofs and shaken foundations.

According to the Hokuriku Electric Power Company, following the quake, more than 32,500 homes in Ishikawa prefecture were left without power.

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