JAPAN is bracing for 16ft waves to hit its coast after experiencing a series of powerful earthquakes that triggered tsunami warnings in three other countries.
The country is dealing with the devastating aftermath of at least 80 earthquakes as emergency services struggle to save people buried alive, control a massive fire and prepare for expected landslides.
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A policeman stands guard on a beach as Japan prepares for a series of bigger waves to crash on its shoresCredit: AP
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A large fire rages after the earthquake in a residential area in Wajima, IshikawaCredit: Reuters
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Tsunami waves of up to 16ft threaten to hit Japan after 7.5 magnitude earthquake Credit: AFP
A rapid series of dozens of earthquakes hit the main Japanese island of Honshu today – the worst was of magnitude 7.6, which occurred at 16:10 local time.
The quakes triggered emergency tsunami warnings, with officials warning that waves could reach up to 16 feet in some places.
Waves of 3 feet have already washed over parts of Japan’s west coast.
The worst-hit areas are Toyama, Ishikawa and Niigata, which now face risks of landslides and house collapses as aftershocks are expected over the next few days.
At least six people were buried under the rubble, the government said, adding that the army had been called in to help rescue efforts.
A large fire is also currently raging in the residential area of Wajima, Ishikawa which was close to the epicenter of the successive earthquakes.
It swallowed a row of houses, and people were evacuated in the dark, some with blankets and others with babies.
The consequences of the earthquake are felt in North Korea, South Korea and in the Far East of Russia, which issued warnings to the local population about the danger of tsunami.
More earthquakes are expected in the coming hours and days, officials said.
Earlier today, Japanese TV channels suspended normal services with warnings including a video of Prime Minister Fumio Kishida urging people in dangerous areas to “evacuate as soon as possible” to higher ground.
“We understand your home, all your things are precious to you, but your lives matter above all else! Escape to the highest possible level,” said the agitated host of the national broadcaster NHK to the viewers.
A government spokesman, Hayashi Yoshimasa, warned that it was critical for people in coastal areas to stay away from the incoming tsunami waves.
“Every minute counts. Please evacuate to a safe area immediately,” he said.
The Japan Meteorological Agency issued a “major tsunami” warning earlier today, meaning waves of up to 16 feet, but no further major incidents were reported and the agency downgraded its tsunami warning to up to 9.3 feet.
About 33,500 households around the epicenter, in Toyama, Ishikawa and Niigata prefectures, were without power, the local utility said.
Nuclear authorities in the country announced that nuclear power plants in the area had not reported any irregularities and that there was no danger of radioactivity leaking.
“I’ve never experienced anything like this before, it was terrible. I got out immediately, but the ground was shaking,” the elderly man told broadcaster NHK.
“I was scared when I saw that the pillars were shaking,” the young man added.
In South Korea, a 3-foot tsunami reached its east coast after the earthquake in Japan.
The South Korean Meteorological Agency predicted that even bigger waves would hit Gangwon province in the next 24 hours.
The city of Samcheok has advised residents to move to areas taller than a three-story building.
Separately, North Korea issued tsunami warnings for its coast against possible waves higher than 7 feet.
Russia also declared a tsunami warning in the far eastern city of Vladivostok, near Japan’s Pacific coast, state news reported.
Emergency services urged people to “remain calm” as they warned that coastal areas could be hit by tsunami waves and told fishermen and those at sea to return to shore.
Japan is one of the most seismically active countries in the world due to its location in the “Pacific Ring of Fire” where several tectonic plates meet and grind against each other.
The country is haunted by the memory of the massive 9.0 magnitude undersea earthquake off northeastern Japan on March 11, 2011, which triggered a tsunami that killed nearly 20,000 people.
Today, Japan issued a major tsunami warning for the first time since that fateful day.
The 2011 tsunami also caused the meltdown of three reactors at the Fukushima nuclear power plant, causing Japan’s worst post-war disaster and the most serious nuclear accident since Chernobyl.
In March 2022, a magnitude 7.4 earthquake off the coast of Fukushima shook large areas of eastern Japan, killing three people.
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Cracks split the ground in Wajima, IshikawaCredit: AP
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Another earthquake is expected to hit the original epicenterCredit: Reuters
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The Torii Gate was destroyed by a series of powerful earthquakesCredit: AP
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People hold each other in a shop in Ishikawa when the first earthquake struckCredit: Reuters
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People hide under tables in bowling alley during 90 minutes of earthquake Credit: x
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Residents on west coast of Honshu island told to ‘flee’
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Source: HIS Education