Japan activates tsunami alert after earthquake of 7.3 in Fukushima

Japan activated this Wednesday the tsunami alert due to a magnitude 7.3 earthquake off the coast of Fukushima and Miyagi prefectures, in the northeast of the country.

The earthquake occurred at 23:36 local time (09:43 in Ecuador), at a depth of 60 kilometersas reported by the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA), which has warned of a possible tsunami in the most affected area up to a meter high.

The earthquake was preceded by another earthquake of lesser intensity, and reached a high level of six on the Japanese scale, out of a maximum of seven and focused on measuring the agitation on the surface and the affected areas rather than the intensity of the tremor.

The earthquake was strongly felt in other areas of eastern and central Japan, including Tokyo.where it reached level four on the Japanese scale.

The operator of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, in the process of dismantling since the nuclear crisis triggered by the great earthquake and tsunami of March 2011, is currently analyzing whether any damage has been caused by the new earthquake, as well as at other nearby atomic facilities.

The movement has caused power outages in the town of Soma, in Fukushima, as well as in large areas of Tokyo and in the neighboring prefectures of Kanagawa, Chiba and Saitama.

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has called an emergency meeting to coordinate monitoring of the situation and analyze possible damage.

Several high-speed rail lines have been interrupted in the northeast of the country, while various sections of highways have also been closed as a precaution, as well as the Tokyo Haneda airport. (I)