ANAMIZU, Japan – Evacuation orders were in place along the west Japan coast on Monday after a massive earthquake triggered Tsunami Warnings with waves up to 4 feet high.
The U.S. Geological Survey said the magnitude 7.5 earthquake struck near Anamizu, in the country’s coastal prefecture of Ishikawa, causing power outages and transportation disruptions.
Tsunami Warnings were issued by the Japan Meteorological Agency for Ishikawa, Niigata and Toyama. Russia also issued Tsunami Warnings in its far eastern cities of Vladivostok and Nakhodka, Reuters reports.
They were the first major warnings since the 2011 earthquake and tsunami that devastated northeastern Japan, killing nearly 20,000 people and triggering nuclear meltdowns in Fukushima.
“Residents need to stay on alert for further possible quakes, and I urge people in areas where tsunamis are expected to evacuate as soon as possible,” said Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, warning residents to prepare for more disasters.
Utilities provider Hokuriku Electric Power reported that over 36,000 households had lost power in Ishikawa and Toyama prefectures, according to Reuters. High-speed rail services to Ishikawa were also suspended, as phone and internet services caused disruptions in Ishikawa and Niigata.
Japanese airlines ANA and JAL canceled flights to Toyama, Ishikawa and Niigata regions due to airport closures.
Kimana Seiko, the owner of Matsunami Sake Brewery in Noto, recorded the destruction done to her premises, saying buildings and a storehouse on the site had collapsed.
Video recorded at a shopping mall in Kanazawa shows people’s reactions to the earthquake amid toppled shelves with toys and other products strewn across the floor.
Footage below, shot in Joetsu, in the adjacent Niigata prefecture, showed the earthquake’s effects, as overhead wires sway.