An earthquake measuring 7.6 on the Richter scale hit Ishikawa prefecture on the central west coast of Japan this Monday. and forced the activation of tsunami alerts across large parts of the archipelago, as well as causing significant damage and trapping at least six people under rubble.
The earthquake, which was also felt in Tokyo, occurred on the Noto Peninsula at 16.10 local time. The Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) initially estimated the tremor to be 7.4 degrees on the Richter scale, but later revised the magnitude upward by two-tenths.
Same way, The agency said that initially the earthquake occurred close to the ground, but the epicenter was later located at a depth of 16 kilometers.. The earthquake reached a magnitude of 7 on the closed Japanese scale 7, which focuses on the destructive capacity of tremors rather than their intensity.
Images broadcast on Japanese television or social networks showed the great strength and destructive power of the tremor, especially in the town of Wajima (about 500 kilometers west of Tokyo), where the most serious damage was apparently recorded.
At least 30 houses were seriously damaged in the city of approximately 27,000 people. At least six people were trapped under rubble and a building collapsed. The earthquake also caused a huge fire in this town.
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In a video on the social network X, old houses were seen being demolished. “Matsunami district of Noto. We are in a terrible situation. Please help us. My city is in a terrible situation,” one person in the recording lamented.
As of 21:00 local time, 60 aftershocks were recorded in the earthquake. and the JMA has warned that further tremors are very likely, reaching level 7 in Japan next week.
More than 50 earthquakes of magnitude 3.2 or greater occurred in the Noto peninsula within four hours.
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The earthquake also damaged roads and highways in the region and caused the temporary suspension of movement of many train lines. At high speed.
More than 30,000 homes in Ishikawa and 3,600 homes in neighboring Niigata were reported to be in the same situation. Although Japanese officials said no damage was detected at any of the country’s nuclear power plants.
“It has been confirmed that there are currently no abnormalities at the Shika nuclear power plant (located in Ishikawa prefecture) or other areas,” government spokesman Yoshimasa Hayashi said.
The earthquake forced the activation of a tsunami warning due to the possibility of waves up to five meters high in Ishikawa prefecture. and for waves up to three meters for Fukui, Toyama, Hyogo, Niigata and Yamagata prefectures.
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A tsunami warning was also issued for the entire west coast of Honshu and Hokkaido islands. and in the north of the island of Kyushu.
The intensity of the earthquake and the seriousness of the alarm strained the presenters of the Japanese public radio and television channel NHK. He was almost shouting, urging people in the area to move to higher ground.
“All residents should immediately move to higher ground,” the NHK television channel called. The presenter insisted, “We are aware that your homes and belongings are very valuable to you, but your lives are more important than anything else. Run to the highest areas possible.”
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Waves reached 1.2 meters high in Wajima, and sea level rises below one meter were reported elsewhere on Japan’s west coast.
In fact, officials in neighboring South Korea reported that the coasts of Gangwon province, which overlooks the Sea of Japan (referred to as the East Sea in both Koreas), received waves of 20 to 45 centimeters.
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Fortunately, the water did not cause damage in either Japan or South Korea, but the JMA alert is expected to remain active for several more hours. For now, the agency has decided to drop the alert that only affects Ishikawa; Possible waves of up to three meters are now expected here instead of five.
The Hawaii-based Pacific Tsunami Warning Center also reported that the tsunami risk is now behind us. “The tsunami threat has largely passed,” the US agency said.
Japan, located in the so-called “ring of fire” region of the Pacific, is one of the countries where earthquakes occur most frequently in the world.
Extremely strict building regulations apply in the archipelago, so buildings can often withstand strong earthquakes. and citizens are used to such situations.
But the traumatic memory of the massive tsunami that followed the devastating 9.0 magnitude earthquake still lingers in the country. It caused a disaster in March 2011 that left nearly 20,000 people dead or missing.
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This disaster included the Fukushima nuclear accident, the worst recorded in the world since Chernobyl in 1986. The tsunami caused three reactors at a Japanese nuclear power plant to melt down.
Then, in March 2022, a 7.4-magnitude earthquake off the coast of Fukushima shook large areas of eastern Japan and killed three people. The capital, Tokyo, was devastated by a massive earthquake a century ago, in 1923.
EFE AND AFP
Source: Exame
