A tsunami warning was issued in Japan following a 7.6 magnitude earthquake.
A 3.3-foot-high tsunami hit parts of the west coast along the Sea of Japan after the earthquake, which struck Ishikawa in central Japan, caused the warning and evacuation advisories, according to Al Jazeera. Larger waves are suggested to form, public broadcaster NHK reported on Monday.
“All residents must evacuate immediately to higher ground,” NHK said after the earthquake struck the Noto region in Ishikawa.
#JAPAN has been hit by a massive 7.6 #EARTHQUAKE!
Orders to evacuate have been issued, along with tsunami warnings.
I hope everybody is safe🙏 pic.twitter.com/hZrLPk5a3Y
— Tansu Yegen (@TansuYegen) January 1, 2024
Tsunami warnings were issued for the coastal prefectures of Ishikawa, Niigata and Toyama by the Japan Meteorological Agency, Al Jazeera reported. Waves reached heights up to 16.4 feet, occupying the country’s central coast as far as 186 miles, U.S. and Japanese agencies said.
Authorities continue to monitor the extent of the damage from the natural disaster, top government spokesman Yoshi-masa Hayashi said, according to the Al Jazeera. Buildings were shown collapsing, and earthquakes shook Tokyo’s capital buildings in footage captured by NHK. (RELATED: Magnitude 7.0 Earthquake Rocks Japan, Triggering Tsunami Warnings)
Nearly 36,000 households lost power in Ishikawa and Toyama, utilities provider Hokuriku Electric Power said. No irregularities were confirmed at nuclear power plants along the Sea of Japan, according to the outlet.
This is not the first time that earthquakes have triggered tsunami warnings in Japan. A tsunami advisory was issued in March 2022 after the coast of northern Japan was struck by a 7.3 magnitude earthquake. The advisory applied to areas in regions off the coast of the Fukushima and Miyagi prefectures.