At Least Two Killed After 7.4-Magnitude Quake Hits Japan, Tsunami Alert Issued

A powerful overnight earthquake rattled numerous parts of east Japan as two people were killed and dozens suffered injuries. Furthermore, the devastating quake also prompted a tsunami warning, authorities revealed on March 17.

Officials and residents in Japan's northeast were still attempting to evaluate the damage early on Thursday after a 7.4-magnitude quake rocked the country just moments before midnight.

7.4 Rector Scale Earthquake Hits Japan

On the back of the quake, a tsunami warning for waves of up to a metre high in the northeast part of the country was lifted in the early hours of Thursday morning after officials recorded water levels up to 30cm higher than regular in some parts.

Multiple more minor jolts continued to hit the province throughout the night and morning on March 17.

SHOCKING: Huge flashes seen in the sky as 2 million homes in #Japan left without power after 7.3 earthquake pic.twitter.com/CfjXcb5Lmv

— GBN (@GBNfeed) March 16, 2022

Furthermore, initial reports of the damage seemed moderately minor in a country with tough building codes intended to safeguard against destruction from frequent earthquakes, and officials revealed that there were no abnormalities at nuclear plants either.

"We're doing our best to assess the extent of the damage," Hirokazu Matsuno, government spokesman, was quoted as saying by NDTV.

Tsunami Alert Issued In Japan Amid Massive Quake

According to the Fire and Disaster Management Agency, two people were killed in the quake, one in the Fukushima region and a second in neighbouring Miyagi, with over 90 people injured across several regions.

Japan's Meteorological Agency said that the quake struck at a depth of 60 kilometres (37 miles) off the Fukushima coast and was preceded minutes earlier by another strong 6.1-magnitude shake in the same area.

The night-time quakes came just days after the country marked its 11th anniversary of a massive earthquake that ignited a devastating tsunami and the Fukushima nuclear disaster.

The overnight tremors created immense shaking in the northeast coastal areas, where bookcases toppled over in homes and items got thrown down from the shelves of convenience stores.

The jolts also rattled the capital and temporarily plunged parts of Tokyo and other areas into darkness.

Approximately two million homes also lost power in the capital and elsewhere due to the quake's immediate aftermath; however, it was progressively restored overnight. Furthermore, nearly 35,600 homes in the Fukushima and Miyagi areas were still without electricity on the morning of Match 17, electricity firm TEPCO announced.

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