Tokyo: A powerful earthquake and tsunami struck central Japan and its western coast on Monday, triggering chaos and panic as residents scrambled to evacuate, buildings collapsed, and transportation networks ground to a halt.
The quake, with a preliminary magnitude of 7.6, sent tremors that were felt as far away as Tokyo on the opposite coast. It generated waves of around one meter along parts of the Sea of Japan coast, with larger waves expected, according to public broadcaster NHK.
Tsunami warnings were issued for the coastal prefectures of Ishikawa, Niigata, and Toyama in Japan, as well as in the far eastern Russian cities of Vladivostok and Nakhodka.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida urged residents to stay alert for further tremors and evacuate immediately if they were in areas threatened by the tsunami.
Footage aired by NHK showed the devastating impact of the quake, with a building collapsing in a plume of dust in the coastal city of Suzu and residents in Kanazawa city cowering under tables as tremors shook their homes. Flames were also seen coming from buildings in Wajima city, Ishikawa Prefecture.
The quake caused widespread disruptions, knocking out power to over 36,000 households in Ishikawa and Toyama prefectures. Bullet train services on the Tohoku, Joetsu, and Hokuriku lines were suspended, while telecom operators SoftBank and KDDI reported phone and internet service disruptions in Ishikawa and Niigata. Japanese airlines ANA and Japan Airlines also cancelled flights to the affected region.
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No irregularities were reported at any nuclear power plants along the Sea of Japan, including the five active reactors at Kansai Electric Power’s Ohi and Takahama plants in Fukui Prefecture.
Hokuriku’s Shika plant in Ishikawa, which was closest to the quake’s epicenter, had already halted its two reactors for regular inspection and saw no impact from the quake.
The full extent of the damage is still being assessed, and authorities are urging residents to remain vigilant and prepared for further aftershocks.