The western coast of Japan was struck by strong earthquakes
Japan’s earthquakes and tsunamis are coming – and they’re coming: Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida tells reporters
Japan is prone to earthquakes. There were nuclear reactor meltdowns after a major earthquake and tsunami in 2011. Nuclear plants in the affected area had not reported any illegal activity on Monday, Hayashi told reporters.
The Japanese government has set up a special emergency center to gather information on the quakes and tsunami and relay them speedily to residents to ensure safety, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida told reporters.
In nearby South Korea, the weather agency urged residents in some eastern coastal towns to watch for possible changes in sea levels. The waves that hit later can be bigger than the initial ones.
Takashi Wakabayashi, a worker at a convenience store in Ishikawa Prefecture, said some items had tumbled from the shelves, but the biggest problem was the huge crowd of people who had shown up to stock up on bottled water, rice balls and bread.
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.
The Bullet trains stopped in the area. Water pipes had burst and parts of the highway were closed. The cell phone services in the region didn’t work.
Japanese media footage showed people running through the streets, and red smoke spewing from a fire in a residential neighborhood. Photos showed a crowd of people, including a woman with a baby on her back, standing by huge cracks that had ripped through the pavement.
Japan’s military dispatched 1,000 soldiers to the disaster zones to join rescue efforts, Kishida said, stressing they were facing “large-scale damage.” Details of damaged homes were still under investigation, he said.
People are trapped inside six homes that were damaged by the earthquakes. A fire has broken out in Wajima city, Ishikawa Prefecture, and electricity is out for more than 30,000 households, Hayashi said.
Waves estimated to be about 10 feet high hit Niigata and other areas on the coast of western Japan, and were confirmed to have reached parts of the coastline.
NHK said the tsunami waves could keep returning, and warnings were continuing to be aired hours after the initial alert. Several aftershocks also rocked the region.
NHK TV urged people to flee to high land as soon as possible because the water could reach as high as 15 feet.
TOKYO — Japan issued tsunami alerts and ordered evacuations following a series of earthquakes on Monday that started a fire and trapped people under rubble on the west coast of its main island.
There were more than a dozen earthquakes in the vicinity of the coast of Ishikawa and nearby prefectures, one of which had a preliminary magnitude of 7.6.
The warning was upgraded several hours after it was issued, and the warnings were lifted as of early Tuesday. Waves measuring more than one meter (3 feet) hit some places.
News videos show collapsed houses. Some wooden structures were flattened and cars were overturned. Half-sunken ships floated in bays where tsunami waves had rolled in, leaving a muddied coastline.
Fifteen people were confirmed dead in Wajima city, officials said. The homes that were damaged were so poor that it wouldn’t immediately be assessed, they said.
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“Saving lives is our priority and we are facing a battle against time,” Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said Tuesday. It’s important that people are saved from homes immediately.
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said that the country is facing a battle against time after a series of earthquakes and tsunamis hit parts of western Japan. “Saving lives is our priority…and we are facing a battle against time,” he said. At least 15 people have been killed and dozens have been injured in the earthquakes, officials said.