Tsunami warning: Strong earthquake hits Fukushima
A 7.3 magnitude earthquake struck Fukushima. Japan’s meteorological agency has issued a tsunami warning.
A strong earthquake shook Fukushima late Wednesday evening (local time). Japan’s meteorological agency issued a tsunami warning for Fukushima and Miyagi prefectures.
It was initially not known whether there was damage to the nuclear ruins in Fukushima. The long-lasting 7.3 magnitude tremor struck just before midnight (local time), almost eleven years to the day after the northeastern region of the Asian archipelago was devastated by a devastating magnitude 9 earthquake and triggered massive tsunami. The earthquake on Wednesday was also felt in Tokyo, around 300 kilometers away.
The weather agency warned of a tidal wave up to one meter high. Power outages occurred in Fukushima, local media reported. The government in Tokyo set up an emergency staff. The severe earthquake in the north-east suddenly brought back memories of the devastating catastrophe eleven years ago.
On March 11, 2011, a gigantic tsunami hit the Pacific coast and flattened everything: towns, villages and huge areas of cultivation sank under the masses of water and mud.
The flood killed around 20,000 people. In Fukushima, there was a super meltdown at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. It became the symbol of the triple catastrophe known as “3/11” all over the world – even if none of the deaths are attributed to radiation.
The operator Tepco is checking whether the renewed strong earthquake caused irregularities, it said on Thursday night. Japan is one of the most earthquake-prone countries in the world.
