7.3 magnitude earthquake hits Fukushima,

 

7.3 magnitude earthquake hits Fukushima,

A huge earthquake that rocked buildings and cut power to more than two million homes in Japan has sparked fears of a Tsunami - 11 years after a tidal wave left nearly 19,000 people dead or missing in the same area.

The powerful 7.3-magnitude quake jolted the east of the country and left supermarkets and houses trashed while 170 miles away in Tokyo the city was plunged into darkness amid the electrical shortage.




It also triggered a fire alarm at a turbine at the crumpled Fukushima Daiichi plant, authorities said, adding they were monitoring the situation on Wednesday night.

But Japan's nuclear authority said no abnormalities were detected at the site that went into meltdown 11 years ago when it was battered by a 9.0-magnitude quake.

Meanwhile as many as 6,820 people had to be evacuated from their homes Watari Town in Miyagi, according to local news site NHK.

The epicentre struck off the coast of Fukushima at a depth of 37 miles at 11.36pm local time - 2.36pm in the UK - triggering an advisory for tsunami waves of one metre for the coasts of northeastern Fukushima and Miyagi.

A 20 centimetre tsunami wave was recorded in Ishinomaki in Miyagi prefecture overnight, according to public broadcaster NHK, which showed images of some structural damage in Fukushima.


Government spokesman Hirokazu Matsuno said: 'Calls have been inundating police and ambulances in Fukushima and Miyagi. We're doing our best to assess the extent of the damage.'


Matsuno said an emergency government taskforce had been set up and warned residents of possible strong aftershocks over the next week.


He added: 'Major aftershocks often happen a couple of days after the first quake, so please stay away from any collapsed buildings... and other high-risk places.'


At least two million households were left without power in the central Kanto region, including 700,000 in Tokyo and 156,000 in the northeastern region, electricity provider TEPCO said.

TEPCO also said it was checking operations at Fukushima nuclear plant, while the nuclear regulation authority said there were no abnormalities at Onagawa nuclear plant in northeastern Miyagi prefecture.


The Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings, which operates the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, said workers were checking for any possible damage.