Tokyo is the capital of Japan (CNN) Late Wednesday night, a 7.4-magnitude earthquake struck eastern Japan, killing at least four people and wounding over 100 others, as well as knocking out power to millions more people.
According to the local disaster prevention office, one of the victims was a man in his 60s who lived in the city of Soma.
The quake struck off the coast of Japan’s eastern Fukushima prefecture, which was ravaged 11 years ago by a massive earthquake and tsunami that culminated in the meltdown of a nuclear power plant.
The quake’s initial magnitude was 7.3, but it was raised to 7.4 on Thursday
Following the quake on Wednesday, a tsunami warning was issued for the coastal prefectures of Fukushima and Miyagi, but it was cancelled on Thursday morning, and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida later stated that “no abnormalities” had been found at any of the country’s nuclear plants.
According to Japan’s Meteorological Agency, the quake’s preliminary epicentre depth was 60 kilometres (37 miles).
It predicted tsunami waves up to 1 metre higher than typical tidal levels, with the first waves hitting the shore at midnight local time (11 a.m. ET).
According to the agency, an 8-inch tsunami rocked the coastline of Japan’s Miyagi prefecture about an hour and a half after the earthquake struck, urging people in impacted areas to keep away from the coast.
According to Kishida, a bullet train derailed near Fukushima as a result of the earthquake, but no injuries were reported.
78 people were stranded for four hours when the high-speed train crashed, according to national broadcaster NHK, but escaped unharmed by an emergency exit.
Individuals hurt in the quake were rushed to a hospital in Fukushima’s Soma city, according to Kyodo News. The number of people affected was not specified.
Tokyo Electric Power announced that all of Tokyo’s power has been restored.
The Meteorological Agency warned the public on Thursday to keep an eye out for greater earthquake activity in the coming days.
People in vulnerable areas should stay away from the coast and not join the sea until tsunami advisories have been withdrawn, according to Masaki Nakamura, an officer with the agency.
He also warned people to be aware of the dangers of mudslides.
The epicentre of Wednesday’s tremor was 55 miles (89 kilometres) from the deadly 2011 quake, which triggered a tsunami with 30-foot waves, damaging multiple nuclear reactors in the area and culminating in the greatest nuclear calamity since the 1986 Chernobyl tragedy.
In the incident, about 22,000 people were killed or went missing. The initial earthquake and tsunami, as well as post-disaster health issues brought on by the radioactive spill, resulted in deaths.
The earthquake in Japan in 2011 was 9.1 magnitude, 63 times stronger than Wednesday’s quake, and it released 500 times more energy.
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