Fresh quake hits Japan

Alert for wave of up to two metres issued for area devastated by last month’s quake A 7.4 magnitude earthquake has stuck off the north-eastern coast of Japan, triggering a tsunami alert. The warning has been issued in the same area where thousands of lives were lost last month after a magnitude 9 quake and tsunami which damaged reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant. The Japan meteorological agency issued a warning for a wave of up to two metres in a coastal area devastated by last month’s tsunami. Officials say Thursday’s quake, which happened late at night local time, hit 25 miles under water off the coast of Miyagi prefecture. People in the area were told to “evacuate immediately” to a safe place away from the shore. Announcers on Japan’s public broadcaster NHK told coastal residents to go to higher ground away from the shore. A wave of up to half a metre was expected in neighbouring provinces. Buildings in Tokyo, more than 200 miles away, shook for about a minute. The US Geological Survey gave the preliminary magnitude as 7.4 and said the quake was off the eastern coast 60 miles from Sendai and 90 miles from Fukushima. Hundred of aftershocks have followed the 11 March quake but few have been stronger than magnitude 7. Officials at the Fukushima plant said there was no immediate sign of new problems. Japan Japan disaster Natural disasters and extreme weather guardian.co.uk

Posted by on April 7, 2011. Filed under News, Politics, World News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.