Japan was hit by a massive magnitude 7.4 tremor to the east of Fukushima around 5:59 am local time on Tuesday, 22nd November. The earthquake was followed by an urgent tsunami warning for the residents and tourists near the low-lying coastal areas as the authorities feared that Fukushima and Miyagi might be hit with a series of tsunami waves up to 10 feet.
Around 8 in the morning, the north-east Pacific coast of Japan especially the Sendai port was hit by waves of up to 4.6 feet. Tsunami waves were also witnessed at the Sunaoshi River in Tagajo city.
After four hours of the initial quake, the warning issued by the local authorities for the people of Miyagi and Fukushima was downgraded. But, the citizens and the travellers were asked to stay away from the coastal areas. Officials issued tsunami warnings in places like Ibaraki and Iwate as well and the warnings were lifted after seven hours of the initial quake.
According to the Japan Meteorological Agency, the tremor occurred at a depth of almost 18.6 miles from the surface. The entire region received a number of aftershocks in the next few hours. The agency also informed that the latest quake was an aftershock of the massive 9.0 earthquake that devastated lives in 2011. The JMA also issued warning as another massive tremor might appear within the next few days. They also advised people in the quake hit region to stay alert for a few weeks.
None of the travellers or the citizens was reported to be severely injured due to the earthquake.
The Tokyo Electric Power Company informed that after the tremor, the Fukushima Daini nuclear power plant noticed that one of the cooling systems was affected. The cooling system was later restored.
Right after receiving the news of the quake, the prime minister of Japan, Shinzo Abe informed that proper and accurate information over the tsunami and the evacuation should be issued, and also to grasp and understand the condition of the damage as quickly as possible, and also to take proper emergency measures.
It was found that after the quake struck, the flight service at the Sendai airport had to face disruption.
