Japan was hit by a series of earthquakes on Monday which led to a fire, trapped people under rubble, and prompted tsunami alerts and evacuations on the west coast of its main island. The Japan Meteorological Agency reported more than a dozen quakes off the coast of Ishikawa and nearby prefectures shortly after 4 p.m, one of them with a preliminary magnitude of 7.6. The agency issued a major tsunami warning for Ishikawa and lower-level tsunami warnings or advisories for the rest of the western coast of the island of Honshu, as well as the northernmost of its main islands, Hokkaido. Japanese public broadcaster NHK TV warned that water could reach as high as 5 meters, with the possibility of continuous return of tsunami waves.
Yoshimasa Hayashi, a government spokesman, emphasized that people in coastal areas should immediately evacuate to a safe area. He added that a tsunami of about 3 meters was expected to hit parts of the coastline in Japan, and the waves had already reached the shore in some areas. A fire broke out in Wajima city, Ishikawa Prefecture, and electricity was out for more than 30,000 households. At least six homes were damaged by the quakes and people were trapped inside. The JTas of now, there have been no reports of deaths or injuries confirmed. Japan’s military was involved in the rescue efforts.
Footage showed people running through the streets and fires breaking out in a residential neighborhood. Bullet trains and parts of the highway were halted, and water pipes had burst. The Meteorological Agency warned that more major quakes could hit the area over the next week, with the risk of landslides and collapsing houses. Bulbs in the area stopped offering a variety of services. There were also warnings issued for North Korea and Russia and nearby South Korea was urged to watch for possible changes in sea levels. The Japanese government has set up a special emergency center and reiterated the warning for immediate evacuation in affected areas. Japan has experienced more than a dozen strong quakes with definite risks of setting off landslides.