Major Earthquake, Tsunami Wave Strike Off Fukushima In Japan
TOKYO (CBSNewYork/CBS News/AP) -- Coastal residents in Japan were ordered to flee to higher ground on Tuesday local time after a strong earthquake with a magnitude of 7.4 struck off the coast of Fukushima prefecture.
The Japan Meteorological Agency issued a tsunami warning for waves of up to 3 meters (10 feet) in Fukushima and another prefecture, and a tsunami advisory for much of the rest of northeast Japan's Pacific coast. The tsunami warning was later lifted.
There were no immediate reports of damage or injury.
Tsunamis of up to 3 feet were recorded about an hour after the 6 a.m. earthquake.
Reuters reported that much of the northern Japanese coast is being urged to evacuate due to the possibility of a tsunami. The Pacific Tusnami Warning Center said in a statement that faraway places like Hawaii aren't expected to experience any tsunami affects, CBS News reported.
In 2011, a magnitude 9.1 earthquake in the same region triggered a massive tsunami and led to almost 16,000 deaths. The temblor and tsunami led to a nuclear disaster at the power plant in Fukushima, which is still causing problems to this day, CBS News reported.
The operator of the Fukushima Dai-ichi plant said there were no abnormalities observed at the plant, though a swelling of the tide of up to 1 meter has been detected offshore.
Plant operator TEPCO said a pump that supplies cooling water to a spent fuel pool at the nearby Fukushima Dai-ni plant stopped temporarily, but that it was working again. The Tokyo-based utility is investigating the cause.
The U.S. Geological Survey measured the magnitude at 6.9. The earthquake shook buildings in Tokyo, 150 miles southwest of the epicenter.
The meteorological agency said the quake struck at a depth of 6 miles. It revised up the magnitude from an initial reading of 7.3.
NHK urged people to evacuate immediately, reminding them of the devastating 2011 quake that killed about 18,000 people.
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