EA 7.3-magnitude earthquake hit northeastern Japan on Wednesday. At around 11:36 p.m. local time, the earth shook in the region where almost 20,000 people died eleven years ago after an earthquake and massive tsunami. Also on Wednesday, the authorities for the prefectures of Fukushima and Miyagi issued a tsunami warning that seemed dangerous at a height of one meter, but less dramatic than the disaster eleven years ago. More than three hours after the earthquake, small tsunami waves of up to 30 centimeters had reached the coast in some places. There was no all-clear yet because the waves could intensify.
The authorities warned the population not to go to the coast. Aftershocks of similar magnitude could hit the region in the coming days. Cities in the region opened evacuation centers. The government in Tokyo immediately set up an emergency center.
The earthquake, which lasted an unusually long time, was felt from Hokkaido to the capital, Tokyo, and further south. The epicenter of the magnitude 7.3 quake was in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Fukushima at a depth of about 60 kilometers, according to the Japan Seismological Observatory. The American earthquake observatory registered two earthquakes measuring 6.4 and 7.3 two minutes apart.
First check: no major damage to power plants
After an initial inspection, the energy supplier Tepco announced that there were no irregular observations or increased radiation at the Fukushima Daiichi and Fukushia Daini nuclear power plants. At the Daini power plant, water pumps for the spent fuel pool failed, but could be restarted. The operator of the Onagawa nuclear power plant further north also reported no irregularities. All three power plants are out of service. Eleven years ago, a triple meltdown occurred in Fukushima Daiichi.
There were initially no reports of major damage. Television images showed damaged roads, broken water pipes and parts of house facades that had fallen off. Minamisoma, the city hardest hit by the tremors, reported casualties, some fires and structural damage. The power went out at times for more than two million people in the region and in the greater Tokyo area. Shinkansen express trains were automatically stopped as usual. However, a train derailed in the Fukushima region and there were no injuries.
Memories of the 2011 disaster
The earthquake came a few days after the eleventh anniversary of the 2011 tsunami catastrophe. The last time there was a similarly strong earthquake at the site of the epicenter was in February 2021. At the time, experts did not rule out that these were aftershocks from the severe earthquake of eleven years ago.
On March 11, 2011, a magnitude 9 earthquake triggered a tsunami that hit the coastal region in north-eastern Japan with waves more than 15 meters high. Almost 20,000 people died then or are still missing today. The emergency generators at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant failed, resulting in a triple meltdown. Tens of thousands of people were evacuated from the region because of the radiation and some of them cannot yet return to their hometowns.
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