7.3-magnitude earthquake strikes Japan

Tokyo – A 7.3-magnitude earthquake struck the coastal region of Fukushima, in the north of the country JapanThis led to tsunami warnings and plunged more than two million homes in the Tokyo area into darkness.

The area is part of northern Japan, which was devastated by a deadly 9-magnitude earthquake and tsunami 11 years ago, which also caused a nuclear disaster.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center announced that there is no longer a risk of a tsunami, Although the Japan Meteorological Agency kept its low-risk warning in effect. National broadcaster NHK said the 20-centimeter (8-inch) tsunami had already swept ashore in one area.

Tokyo Electric Power Holding Company (TEPCO), which operates the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, which suffered multiple meltdowns after the 2011 earthquake and tsunami, reported that workers found no damage at an inspection of the site, which is being dismantled.

Cabinet Secretary, Hirokazu Matsunotold reporters that there were no anomalies at two other nuclear plants in the area.

The Meteorological Agency determined that the quake occurred at 11:36 p.m. (10:36 a.m. Puerto Rican time) at a depth of 60 kilometers (36 miles) below sea level.

The Air Self-Defense Forces sent fighter planes from Hyakuri base in Ibaraki Prefecture, south of Fukushima, on a mission of reconnaissance and damage assessment.

NHK said there were reports of fires, damage to buildings and rockfalls in the Fukushima town of Itit. There were no reports of injuries.

In addition, more than two million homes in the Tokyo area were without power, Tepco said on its website. The earthquake shook large parts of eastern Japan, including the capital, where buildings shook badly.

On the other hand, East Japan Railways added that most of its train services have been suspended for a security check.

first Minister Fumio Kishida She stated that the government was assessing the extent of the damage and promised to do everything in its power for rescue and relief operations. “Please take steps first to save their lives,” Kishida wrote on Twitter.

For his part, Matsuno added that there have been many emergency calls and that the authorities are rushing to assess the damage. “We are doing everything we can in rescue operations and prioritizing people’s lives,” the official said.

He called on residents of the affected areas to be very careful of the possibility of aftershocks for a week.