At least 24 people were killed in a 7.6-magnitude earthquake that struck Japan on Monday, officials said on Tuesday. Among the dead were seven victims at Wajima Hospital, Japanese news agency Kyodo reported, citing city officials. In the city of Wajima, in hard-hit Ishikawa Prefecture, more than 100 buildings caught fire in a neighborhood, NHK reported.
The government said that about 1,000 people were being housed at an air force base in Wajima and provided with blankets, water and food. Japan was hit by a series of powerful earthquakes on Monday, the most powerful of which reached a magnitude of 7.6, causing injuries and damage, and prompting officials to issue tsunami warnings.
The Japan Meteorological Agency lifted tsunami warnings on Tuesday. The earthquake caused a tsunami with a height of about 1.2 meters in Wajima, while waves less than one meter were recorded in other locations, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency. The agency warned of more strong earthquakes during the week, especially in the next two or three days.
The earthquake, whose epicenter was close to the Earth's surface, occurred at 0410 pm local time (0710 GMT) on Monday, and its epicenter was in the Noto Peninsula area on the Sea of Japan. It was felt from Hokkaido in northern Japan to the main island of Kyushu in the southwest. Japan is one of the most earthquake-prone countries in the world.
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