Japan has downgraded the 'major tsunami warning' issued for the Ishikawa Prefecture around 8:30 pm JST on Monday January 1. Following a series of powerful earthquakes along its western coastline, Japan issued tsunami alerts and instructed residents to evacuate coastal areas. A tsunami of about 3 metres (about 10 feet) high) was expected to hit Niigata and other prefectures on the western coast of Japan. Smaller tsunami waves were already confirmed to have reached the coastline, according to Japanese public broadcaster NHK TV. A tsunami measuring 40 cm has been recorded at Kashizawaki city in Niigata Prefecture.
Quakes were reported by the Japan Meteorological Agency off the coast of Ishikawa and neighbouring prefectures just after 4 pm. Among them, a 7.4 magnitude earthquake struck Suzu City in Ishikawa Prefecture, accompanied by a significant 7.6 magnitude earthquake along the Japan Sea coast. Additionally, a warning for another earthquake in Ishikawa prefecture has been issued. (Image: AP)
NHK warned torrents of water could reach as high as 5 metres (16.5 feet) and urged people to flee to high land or the top of a nearby building as quickly as possible. NHK said the tsunami waves could keep returning, and warnings were continuing to be aired more than two hours after the initial alert. Several aftershocks also rocked the region. (Image: Reuters)
Railway officials have suspended the Hokuriku Shinkansen service. When it will resume is currently unknown, as per NHK World News. Japan’s major telecom carriers are offering users the facility to register and check whether a person is safe following the massive earthquake. (Image: Reuters)
Government spokesman Yoshimasa Hayashi told reporters that nuclear plants in the area had not reported any irregularities. But he said people in coastal areas needed to get away from the oncoming tsunami. “Every minute counts. Please evacuate to a safe area immediately,” he said. (Image: Reuters)
The earthquakes themselves also caused damage. Japanese news footage showed reddish smoke spewing from an area in Wajima city, Ishikawa Prefecture, noting there could be a fire there. Details were not immediately available. As many as 33,000 households have observed a power cut in Ishikawa Prefecture which includes nearly 10,300 in Wajima, 7,300 in Noto Town and 7,100 in Suzu City. (Image: Reuters)
A house had crumbled in another area, and a search was underway to see if people were trapped in the rubble. Bullet trains in the area were halted. Parts of the highway were also closed, and water pipes had burst, according to NHK. (Image: Reuters)
Japanese media reports showed a crowd of people, including a woman with a baby on her back, standing by huge cracks that had ripped through the pavement. (Image: AP)
The meteorological agency said in a nationally broadcast news conference that more major quakes could hit the area over the next week, especially in the next two or three days. Tsunami warnings were also issued for Japan's northernmost main island of Hokkaido and parts of North Korea and Russia. Russian officials issued a tsunami alert for the island of Sakhalin, warning that areas across the island's west coast could be affected by the waves. In nearby South Korea, the weather agency urged residents in some eastern coastal towns to watch for possible changes in sea levels. Tsunami waves that hit later can be bigger than the initial ones. (Image: AP)
The Japanese government has set up a special emergency centre to gather information on the quakes and tsunami and relay them speedily to residents to ensure safety, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida told reporters. He reiterated the warning for immediate evacuation in affected areas. The Indian Embassy in Japan has also set up an emergency control room for anyone to contact in connection with the earthquake and tsunami. (Image: AP)