DLNews Disasters:

A powerful earthquake struck parts of Japan, prompting the national meteorological agency to issue a tsunami warning for the coast along the Sea of Japan on Monday. This marked the first significant tsunami alert since the Fukushima disaster 2011, which resulted in 20,000 deaths. However, by 2 PM, authorities announced that the tsunami threat had passed mainly, advising evacuated residents to refrain from returning home immediately.

In the Japanese prefecture of Ishikawa, cracks can be seen in the ground after the earthquake.

Japanese authorities had previously warned that waves could reach up to five meters high in the Noto region, urging residents to seek safety on higher ground. Fortunately, the waves that hit Japan's coast were only 1.2 meters high. Authorities emphasized the danger of tsunamis, stating that a wave as small as 40 centimeters could knock people off their feet.

Post the 7.6 magnitude earthquake, Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, 66, declared, "We are making every effort to assess the damage and implement emergency measures." The government reported six people trapped, and a doctor in Ishikawa Prefecture said several injuries in his clinic, highlighting the struggle of medical staff to reach their workplaces due to extensive road damage.

The quake resulted in power outages in over 30,000 households, with internet and phone services disrupted in other areas. Significant road fissures were reported, and buildings in Tokyo were seen swaying on Monday. The earthquake's intensity nearly matched that of the catastrophic quake in Turkey and Syria last year, which had a magnitude of 7.8 and resulted in approximately 60,000 deaths.

In Ishikawa Prefecture, a large fire was ignited during the earthquake.

Adding to the concern is that a nuclear power plant is located in the earthquake-hit area. However, the operator, Tepco, assured us there were no issues with the facility and that the cooling of spent fuel pools continued uninterruptedly.

Authorities have warned of potential new earthquakes in the prefectures of Ishikawa, Niigata, Nagano, and Toyama over the next two to three days. The affected areas also face increased risks of fires and landslides.