2024-01-01 11:22:00
At the beginning of 2024, Japan declared a strong alert tsunami following a series of 20 earthquakes of magnitude 7.6 on the Richter scale that shook the central region of the country.
Residents of the Noto area in Ishikawa were ordered to immediately evacuate to higher areas, according to NHK.
The first tsunami waves, one meter high, have already reached the coast. The authorities wait waves of more than 5 meters.
Es the first time that authorities have issued a maximum alert following the tragic 2011 earthquake, which caused serious damage to the Fukushima nuclear power plant. In this case, So far no problems have been reported in the plants along the country’s coast, according to the Nuclear Regulatory Authority.
The operator Kansai Electric Power Company found damage to the Ohi and Takahama nuclear power plants in Fukui prefecture, two of the most vulnerable on the west coast, according to NHK.
The Kashiwazaki-Kariwa plant was also not affected in the first hours, according to a statement from the Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO).
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Collapsed buildings and closed highways
In Noto, this earthquake measuring 7.6 on the Richter scale is the strongest in history. In the city of Suzu, near the epicenter of the earthquake, several buildings collapsed and the videos that circulate show scenes of cars and store shelves, also shaking streets with big cracks,
Highways were closed and the bullet train between Ishikawa and Tokyo is momentarily out of service.
The city of Wajima, in Ishikawa prefecture, was the most affected in the first hours. Local authorities confirmed that at least a dozen buildings collapsed and there are a still undetermined number of people under the rubble.
The Japanese Government confirmed that some 30,000 homes were left without power throughout the area. Residents of the capital reported tremors in buildings, but at the moment there is no data on casualties.
The Prime Minister of Japan, Fumio Kishida, urged citizens on Monday to be careful with powerful earthquakes and evacuate tsunami warning areas as soon as possible.
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