A series of powerful earthquakes off central Japan’s west coast prompted tsunami warnings Monday and saw residents urged to seek higher ground. The Japan Meterological Agency reported a quake hitting Ishikawa and nearby prefectures, one of them measuring a preliminary magnitude of 7.4, while the U.S. Geological Survey reported one quake with a preliminary magnitude of 7.5.
There were warnings of possible tsunami as high as 5 meters (16 feet) in Ishikawa, and presenters on the national broadcaster urged people in the region to move quickly to higher ground.
“Hazardous tsunami waves from this earthquake are possible within 300 km [about 186 miles] of the epicenter along the coasts of Japan,” the Hawaii-based Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said, while the Japan Meteorological Agency warned the waves could be up to five metres high.
Power companies that operation nuclear plants in the region said they were checking for any irregularities but reported no immediate problems, and the government later appeared to confirm the safety of the plants.
“It has been confirmed that there are no abnormalities at Shika nuclear power plant [in Ishikawa] and other stations as of now,” Yoshimasa Hayashi, a spokesperson for the national government said according to the AFP news agency.
A huge earthquake and tsunami struck northeast Japan on March 11, 2011, devastating a vast swathe of the country’s coastline and triggering nuclear reactor meltdowns in Fukushima.
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