Strong earthquakes off the west coast of Japan have prompted tsunami warnings

A series of powerful earthquakes off the west coast of central Japan prompted tsunami warnings on Monday, urging residents to seek higher ground. The Noto region, on the western side of Japan's main island of Honshu, was hit by a rapid series of earthquakes – about 20 in total – starting with a 5.7-magnitude tremor at 4:06 p.m. local time, the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) said. .

This was followed by a large 7.6 magnitude earthquake just four minutes later, then a 6.1 magnitude earthquake at 4:18 p.m., a 4.5 magnitude earthquake at 4:23 p.m., a 4.6 magnitude earthquake at 4:29 p.m., and a 4.8 magnitude earthquake at At 4:32.

The first tsunami waves, about four feet high, struck Wajima Port in Ishikawa Prefecture about an hour after the quakes, and there were warnings that another tsunami, up to 16 feet high, could occur in Ishikawa.

Broadcasters on national broadcaster NHK urged people in the area to leave everything behind and quickly move to higher ground.

“Dangerous tsunami waves from this earthquake are likely to occur 300 kilometers away [about 186 miles] The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center, based in Hawaii, said that the epicenter of the earthquake was along the coast of Japan, while the Japanese Meteorological Agency warned that the height of the waves could reach five meters.

Energy companies that operate nuclear plants in the region said they were checking for any violations but did not report any immediate problems, and the government later appeared to confirm the safety of the plants.

“It has been confirmed that there is nothing abnormal at the Shika Nuclear Power Plant [in Ishikawa] “And other stations so far,” Hayashi Yoshimasa, a spokesman for the national government, said, according to Agence France-Presse.

However, damage was caused by the earthquakes, and a video broadcast by NHK showed what appeared to be buildings collapsing in Ishikawa. The network said that buildings shook along the road on the other side of Japan, in the capital, Tokyo, and Yoshimasa said that the authorities are still verifying the extent of the damage in the affected areas in the west.

Reuters news agency quoted Hokuriku Electric Power Company as saying that more than 36,000 families were without electricity in Ishikawa and Toyama prefectures.

huge An earthquake and tsunami struck northeastern Japan on March 11, 2011Which destroyed a large area of ​​​​the country's coast and caused the collapse of the nuclear reactor in Fukushima.