#Tsunami alert issued for several regions in Russia
JNS: Japan was rocked by a powerful earthquake measuring 7.5 on the Richter Scale on Monday, resulting in the emergence of tsunami waves along the northern coast of central Japan.
Reports confirmed that at 4:21 p.m. on Monday, the city of Wajima in Ishikawa Prefecture experienced tsunami waves exceeding 1.2 meters. Additionally, other cities such as Toyama and Kashiwazaki also encountered the impact of these tsunami waves.
Following the earthquake’s tremors, the Japan Meteorological Agency swiftly issued tsunami warnings for coastal regions in western Japan. In a televised address, Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary, Yoshimasa Hayashi, urged residents residing in areas under tsunami warnings to evacuate to higher ground, as reported by CNN.
The earthquake was accompanied by a series of aftershocks, with Suzu City in Ishikawa Prefecture bearing the brunt as several houses and power poles collapsed, according to reports from NHK, as cited by BBC.
Despite the seismic activity, the Japanese government assured that there were no reported abnormalities at the nearby nuclear plant. The Japan Nuclear Regulation Authority confirmed that the Shika plant in Ishikawa had preemptively shut down its two reactors for routine inspections, as detailed by DW.
This seismic event serves as a grim reminder of the devastating earthquake and tsunami that struck Japan in 2011, claiming nearly 20,000 lives, causing widespread destruction, and triggering nuclear meltdowns in Fukushima.
Meanwhile, the tremors in Japan sent shockwaves as far as Russia’s Far East, prompting tsunami alerts in several regions. The Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations (EMERCOM) announced a tsunami alert for the Sakhalin region. However, it reassured that no evacuations were deemed necessary, with expected wave heights remaining below 50 cm. The wave was anticipated to reach the coast of the Nevelsky district at 20:44 local time (0944 GMT).
In response to the alert, authorities in Vladivostok and Nakhodka, two cities in the Russian Far East, urged fishermen and others planning to venture out to sea to return to shore immediately.
Furthermore, a tsunami alert was also sounded for the Khabarovsk Territory, underlining the significant seismic activity’s ripple effect across the region.
