5 people died, tsunami warning level lowered

The magnitude 7.6 earthquake that struck Monday afternoon destroyed buildings, knocked out power to tens of thousands of homes and forced evacuations. It was the strongest earthquake to hit the region in decades.

Japan's tsunami alert level has been lowered but remains dangerous. Photo: AP

Japan has lowered its tsunami warning to its highest level, but asked people in coastal areas not to return home as deadly waves could still hit.

Specifically, the warning has been downgraded to a normal tsunami, meaning the sea could still generate waves up to 3 meters high. The Japan Meteorological Agency said aftershocks could also hit the same area in the next few days.

Public broadcaster NHK initially warned that the water could reach up to 5 meters high. They continued to broadcast the warning hours later as aftershocks rocked the area.

The station also reported that doctors were unable to reach a hospital in the hard-hit town of Suzu, which was relying on backup generators because of power outages.

A fire caused by an earthquake in Ishikawa prefecture, Japan on January 1, 2024. Photo: Kyodo

A man in his 90s died after a building collapsed in Shika town, Ishikawa prefecture, NTV television quoted local police as saying.

Kyodo further reported that the four deaths in Ishikawa, citing the Prefectural Crisis Management Team, included a man and a woman in their 50s, a boy and a man in his 70s.

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida told reporters late Monday that search and rescue teams were having difficulty reaching the worst-affected areas due to road closures.

This is the strongest earthquake in many years in Japan. Graphic photo: Reuters

The Japanese government said as of Monday evening it had ordered the evacuation of more than 97,000 people in nine prefectures on the west coast of the main island of Honshu. Nearly 33,000 households remained without power in Ishikawa prefecture early Tuesday morning, according to the Hokuriku Electric Power website.

The Nuclear Regulation Authority said no abnormalities were detected at nuclear plants along the Sea of ​​Japan, including five operating reactors at the Ohi and Takahama plants in Fukui Prefecture.

Hoang Anh (according to Kyodo, NHK, Reuters)

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