Authorities in Japan's western and coastal regions warned residents about tsunami waves after a 7.5-magnitude earthquake shook the country on Monday afternoon local time.
The earthquake occurred about 42 kilometers northeast of Anamizu in Ishikawa Prefecture, triggering several aftershocks, according to the United States Geological Survey.
Tsunami waves were reported in several areas and authorities warned that more waves were expected, advising people in affected areas to move to higher ground.
According to Japan's tsunami warning system, waves expected to be less than one meter high fall under the “tsunami warning”, while waves expected to exceed 3 meters fall under the “tsunami warning” and expected waves above 5 meters fall under the “major tsunami warning”.
Tsunami warnings have been issued for:
- Wajima: The city of Wajima in Ishikawa Prefecture reported tsunami waves of about 1.2 meters, Japanese public broadcaster NKH said. The waves hit at around 4:21 pm local time – shortly after the earthquake;
- Toyama and surrounding areas: Other areas along Japan's west coast reported waves of less than 1 meter, including the city of Toyama, the port of Kashiwazaki and Kanazawa, the islands of Tobishima and Sado;
- I note: The city of Noto in Ishikawa Prefecture remains under a tsunami warning, with waves of around 5 meters expected, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency;
- Outside Japan: A tsunami threat was also declared in the cities of Vladivostok, Nakhodka in eastern Russia and the island of Sakhalin, according to Russian state media TASS. The areas face the Sea of Japan. Meanwhile, the South Korean Meteorological Administration is observing possible sea level changes in several areas along its east coast, including Gangneung, Yang Yang and Goseong in Gangwon Province , and in the city of Pohang in northern Gyeongsang province.
In 2011, a 9.1 magnitude earthquake struck 370 kilometers northeast of Tokyo. More than 20,000 people died or went missing in the earthquake and subsequent tsunami, which generated waves 9 meters high.
Source: CNN Brasil
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