A 7.3-magnitude earthquake hit eastern Japan on Wednesday night, prompting a tsunami warning for the northeastern coast, Agence-France Presse reported citing the Japan Meteorological Agency.
The earthquake was centered around the Fukushima region, 60 kilometres below sea level. It resulted in electricity being cut off from approximately two million homes.
The city of Ishinomaki in the country’s Miyagi prefecture recorded a 20-centimetre tsunami wave.
There were no reports of casualties as of Wednesday night.
A government spokesperson, Hirokazu Matsuno, said that police and ambulances in Fukushima and Miyagi have received several distress calls, according to Agence-France Presse. “We’re doing our best to assess the extent of the damage,” he said.
He noted that major aftershocks often take place a couple of days after the first earthquake, and advised people to stay away from collapsed structures and high-risk spots.
Meanwhile, the country’s Air Self Defence Force dispatched fighter jets from the Hyakuri base in the Ibaraki prefecture to gather information about the impact of the earthquake and assess damage.
Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said that authorities were assessing the extent of damage, and added that the government will take all efforts towards rescue and relief operations.
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