Japan hit by series of earthquakes, sees 5-foot tsunami waves, alert in Russia, Korea

A series of strong earthquakes struck Japan on Monday, triggering tsunami waves as high as five foot, and prompting authorities to issue tsunami warnings and evacuation advisories for people on the country’s northwestern coast, local media reported.

According to the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA), the earthquake hit Ishikawa and nearby prefectures, with one of them having a preliminary magnitude of 7.6, according to The Associated Press. According to the local weather agencies, tsunami waves were predicted within 300 kilometres of the epicentre in Noto in Ishigawa after the earthquake.

The earthquake began with a 5.7 magnitude earthquake at 4:06 pm (local time). This was followed by a 7.6-magnitude quake at 4:10 pm (local time), a 6.1 magnitude quake at 4:18 pm (local time), a 4.5 magnitude one at 4:23 pm (local time), a 4.6 magnitude quake at 4:29 pm (local time), 4.8 magnitude quake at 4:32 pm (local time).

The US Geological Survey said another quake with a magnitude of 6.2 hit soon after.

TSUNAMI WARNINGS, PEOPLE EVACUATED
People were urged to quickly leave coastal areas and move to the top of buildings or higher land as waves up to 5 metres hit the coast of Noto in Ishikawa following the tsunami warning, according to Japanese public broadcaster NHK. Local Met office said as many as 21 earthquakes with magnitude 4.0 were recorded, AFP news agency reported.

The JMA warned that people experiencing a tsunami of over 1 metre were considered “highly likely to be unable to stand, with the possibility of death”, according to The Japan Times.

Tsunami warnings were issued by the JMA along the western coastal regions of Ishikawa, Niigata and Toyama prefectures, Reuters reported. Other prefectures, including Niigata and Toyama, saw waves reaching up to 3 metres, NHK reported.

Several videos on social media showed buildings shaking violently, prompting people to rush for cover beneath chairs and tables and raging tsunami waves threatening to inundate coastal areas.

The earthquakes flattened several houses and led to cracks in roads in the affected areas.