A strong 7.6 magnitude earthquake occurred this Monday off the coast of Hokkaido, near the seaside city of Aomori, Japan. The seismic event's epicenter was located 50 kilometers beneath the ocean's surface, and initial warnings indicated the possibility of waves reaching up to three meters in height.
Consequently, the nation's administration has issued an alert, which was later downgraded to a warning, to inform its citizens about potential subsequent events following the detection of this tremor.
Alerta de tsunami en Japón con olas de hasta tres metros de altura tras un terremoto de magnitud 7,6
In response, the Directorate of Meteorology is continuing to monitor for potential aftershocks, and the public broadcaster NHK has already urged residents to evacuate the nearest coastal areas.
La Agencia de Gestión de Incendios y Desastres informó que 23 personas resultaron heridas, incluida una de gravedad. La mayoría de ellas fueron golpeadas por la caída de objetos, informó NHK, y agregó que varias personas resultaron heridas en un hotel en Hachinohe y un hombre en Tohoku resultó levemente herido cuando su automóvil cayó en un agujero. Sin embargo, la Agencia Meteorológica de Japón (JMA) ya ha pedido evacuar con urgencia a más de 90.000 personas para poder evitar cualquier tragedia.
Imágenes tras el terremoto en Japón
The earthquake occurred at 23:15 local time (at 14:15 GMT) and since then, the appropriate protocols have been initiated. An tremor that registered a magnitude of 6 on Japan's 7-level scale for such events in the city of Hachinohe.
The earthquake's intensity is such that a tsunami warning has also been issued for The Miyagi and Fukushima prefectures, this time for waves up to one meter high. Furthermore, a level 2 on the national seismic scale has been registered in Tokyo, and a lower level 6 in locations like Oirase and Hashikami.
Following the earthquake, at least seven individuals have been found injured, as reported by various local news outlets. Two of them sustained harm from falling during the tremor, and one was injured during the evacuation procedure.
“Por el momento, hemos recibido información de que siete personas fueron heridas, pero continuamos recabando información sobre los daños y víctima”, ha señalado la primera ministra, Sanae Takaichi.
Japón emite nueva alerta de fuerte sismo
As a precautionary measure, Japanese authorities have issued another warning regarding the potential arrival of a new earthquake in the coming days that could shake the country once more. These advisories will remain active for at least a week in areas such as Hokkaido and Sanriku, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency.
Furthermore, another concern involved the condition of the Fukushima nuclear power plant, which has not experienced any irregularities, as revealed by The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).