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| This photo shows Fukushima Dai-ni nuclear power plant in Futaba, Fukushima Prefecture on Nov. 22, 2016. Plant operator TEPCO said a pump that supplies cooling water to a spent fuel pool at No. 3 reactor, second right, of the plant stopped working, but that a backup pump had been launched to restore cooling water to the pool. (Kyodo News via AP) |
TOKYO — All tsunami warnings and advisories have been lifted in Japan, seven hours after a powerful offshore earthquake triggered a series of moderate tsunami waves.
The Japan Meteorological Agency warned of waves of up to 3 meters (10 feet) soon after the magnitude 7.4 earthquake and urged residents on sections of the Pacific coast to evacuate to higher ground.
The powerful earthquake fueled concerns about the Fukushima nuclear power plant destroyed by a much larger tsunami five year ago
The first tsunamis were recorded about one hour later. The largest one of 1.4 meters (4.6 feet) in height reached Sendai Bay about two hours after the earthquake.
The tsunami warnings were lifted first, but advisories of possible smaller tsunamis had remained in place until 12:50 p.m.
At least 14 people have been injured by a strong earthquake that struck off Japan's northeast coast on Tuesday.
Japan's Fire and Disaster Management Agency says at least three people were seriously injured with broken bones. They included two women in their 80s, and a third in her 60s.
Fukushima prefecture says an elderly woman was hit in the head by a cupboard, and a man was injured in the knee by glass shards while struggling with falling furniture.
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| Books are scattered on the floor at a library in Iwaki, Fukushima prefecture Nov 22, 2016 after a strong earthquake. |
The disaster agency also reports that fires broke out at two non-residential buildings, but that they have been extinguished. No one was hurt in the fires.
Coastal residents fled to higher ground as a powerful earthquake sent a series of moderate tsunamis toward Japan's northeastern shore Tuesday and fueled concerns about the Fukushima nuclear power plant destroyed by a much larger tsunami five year ago.
The sways to the side were huge... I felt again that we should not have nuclear power
Kazuhiro Onuki, a resident who recalled the 2011 quake after Tuesday's earthquake
The same northeast Japan region was hit by a devastating earthquake and tsunami in 2011 .
The Japan Meteorological Agency says the strong earthquake that struck Tuesday off the coast of Fukushima prefecture was an aftershock of the magnitude 9.0 earthquake that spawned a deadly tsunami in the same region in 2011.
The magnitude 7.4 earthquake struck in the same region that was devastated by a tsunami that followed a much larger magnitude 9.0 quake in 2011, killing some 18,000 people. The U.S. Geological Survey measured Tuesday's quake at 6.9.
Kazuhiro Onuki was staying at what he calls one of his temporary homes when Tuesday's magnitude 7.4 earthquake struck.
He says he remembered "3.11," a reference to the March 11 date of the 2011 disaster.
He adds: "It really came back. And it was so awful. The sways to the side were huge. But nothing fell from shelves."
The 68-year-old former librarian is from Tomioka, a town that became a no-go zone because of radiation contamination.
"I felt again that we should not have nuclear power," he said.
