A strong earthquake of magnitude 7.3 has hint the northeast coast of Japan on Wednesday. The shaking lasted for over two minutes, and the tremor left several parts of Tokyo without power. The shaking intensity scale in some areas were as high as six, and they were too strong for people to stand, according to NHK, public broadcaster.
The Tremor affected nearly two million households in parts of Tokyo as they were left without power. A tsunami warning is also issued in the region. The people in Fukushami region were awaiting for a possible tsunami in the early hours of Thursday morning. This region was affected by a devastating tsunami and earthquake in 2011.
Tsunami advisories were issued by the Japan Meteorological Agency for Miyagi and Fukushima regions. The residents of these areas were warned about high waves, which were as high as a meter, hitting the coasts. The tsunami warning has been lifted for the northeast coast and power has been fully restored in the capital.
"A earthquake of magnitude 7.3 occurred 297 km Northeast of Tokyo, Japan, at around 8.06 pm today", said National Center for Seismology.
Affects of Japan Earthquake
The earthquake was too forceful in some areas that several people found it difficult to stand. Building in the capital Tokyo were rattled. Several people in the north-eastern part of Japan were hurt in falls and by falling objects. Two people killed and around 90 were injured in the tremor.
A man in his sixties has died in the city of Soma in Fukushima Prefecture and another death was reported in Miyagi Prefecture, according to local reports.
Apart from power outages in various parts of Tokyo, several train lines were suspended operations. A bullet train was derailed by the quake in Fukushima and there were no reports of injuries from the accident. Nuclear power plants were also under inspection.
The intensity of this quake was equal to the Kobe earthquake that killed over 6,000 people. The extent of damage is being assessed by the officials, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said.
"We are still trying to understand the situation and collect information. The government will come together to save people's lives and to make all-out efforts to provide safety and provide accurate information", the Prime Minister said in a news briefing.
An emergency task force has warned the residents in Miyagi and Fukushima regions of possible strong aftershocks next week.
"Calls have been inundating police and ambulances in Fukushima and Miyagi. We are doing our best to assess the extent of the damage. Major aftershicks oftenhappen a couple of days after the first earthquake. So, please stay safe and away from collapsed building and other high risk places", Hirokazu Matsuno, top government spokesperson, informed media.
