7.3 magnitude earthquake shakes Japan, tsunami alert issued
An earthquake shook the coast of northern Japan tonight triggering a tsunami alert across the country.
According to the Associated Press Wednesday's 7.3 magnitude earthquake caused power outages in over 2 million buildings in the region and footage posted on social media showed strong tremors across the country.
[Video] Indoors of a business hotel in Koriyama City, Fukushima https://t.co/hSFl6pg4SZ
— NHK News (@nhk_news) March 16, 2022
A video of a business hotel in Koriyama City, Fukushima Prefecture, where an earthquake with a seismic intensity of 5 upper was observed. Then, in addition to the desks and chairs that are installed, the humidifiers and the forehead hung on the wall are also shaking greatly. #nhk_video pic.twitter.com/E7Bp6qBsFC
The quake's epicenter was 55 miles (9.0 miles) from the magnitude 9.0 earthquake that struck in 2011, CNN reported, killing at least 16,000 people and causing a nuclear accident when water from the tsunami cut off power to cold reactors at the nuclear power plant. Fukushima Daiichi in Fukushima. It is considered the worst nuclear incident since the 1986 Chernobyl disaster in Ukraine (when it was part of the former Soviet Union).
One of the nuclear power plants in Fukushima is under control while a second was not affected by the tremors, Cabinet Chief Hirokazu Matsuno told reporters, according to CNN.
"Please take action first to save your life first," Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida told residents in a translated Twitter post. "Please be informed by TV, radio and get information on disaster prevention online."