A powerful 7.5 magnitude earthquake struck off Japan’s northeast coast on Monday, prompting evacuation orders and tsunami warnings for parts of the coastline.
A tsunami has occurred in some areas of Japan, the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) reported in an update early Tuesday morning local time. A 2.3-foot (0.7 meter) tsunami was observed at Kuji Port in Iwate Prefecture. The Japan Meteorological Agency earlier announced that a tsunami height of 16 inches (40 centimeters) was recorded in Aomori and Hokkaido.
A few hours later, the Japan Meteorological Agency downgraded the warning to a tsunami advisory. The agency also revised down the quake’s magnitude from the originally reported magnitude of 7.6.
The quake struck at 11:15 p.m. local time (9:15 a.m. ET) about 70 kilometers off the coast of the country, at a depth of about 33 miles, according to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS).
Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara said at a press conference early Tuesday that there had been reports of multiple injuries and fires from Aomori Prefecture. He said power outages were reported in Aomori and Iwate, and high-speed rail service between Fukushima and Aomori had been suspended. According to Kihara, some sections of the expressway were also closed.
According to a report by public broadcaster NHK, Tsukasa Morikubo, the top disaster prevention official, told reporters that “there is a possibility that a series of large-scale earthquakes with a magnitude of 8 or higher will occur” off Japan’s northeast coast. He called on people to take precautions.
CNN reporters in Japan’s capital Tokyo felt strong shaking that lasted more than 30 seconds during the earthquake.
Prior to this, Kihara called on people in the disaster-stricken areas to evacuate to higher ground or move to safe buildings such as evacuation centers.
Kihara said there have been no reports of “any abnormalities at this time” at the country’s Higashidori and Onagawa nuclear plants. “We have received reports that other nuclear facilities are also currently under inspection,” he added.
Japan’s new prime minister, Sanae Takaichi, who was elected in October, said the government would work closely with local authorities to assess the damage and take emergency response measures.
The government stated, “We will act as one based on the principle that human life is our top priority.”
Japan is not immune to major earthquakes. The region is located on the Pacific Ring of Fire, which experiences intense seismic and volcanic activity on both sides of the Pacific Ocean. The worst earthquake in recent Japanese history was the 2011 magnitude 9.1 off the Pacific coast of Tohoku Earthquake, which caused a massive tsunami and nuclear disaster.
The earthquake and tsunami left more than 22,000 people dead or missing and caused a reactor at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant to melt down, releasing radioactive material into the surrounding area.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
CNN’s Brandon Miller, Lauren Kent and Mitchell McCluskey contributed to this report.
