Four dead after strong quake hits Japan, severing power, triggering tsunami fears
At least four people died following a 7.5-magnitude New Year's Day earthquake in Japan’s Honshu Island, with authorities warning of continuing tsunami risk as dozens of significant aftershocks shook the area.
The U.S. Geological Survey said the approximately 4 p.m. local time quake occurred about six miles below the surface, and local officials said it severed power, destroyed roads and halted train service. Authorities set up emergency shelters for people who evacuated their homes and warned against immediately returning.
Authorities in Ishikawa prefecture reported that at least four people were killed and two others injured, news outlets including CNN and The Wall Street Journal reported. And the operator of bullet-train service said four trains halted for 11 hours mid-journey, stranding about 1,400 passengers, were aided and beginning to travel to stations, according to Japanese public broadcaster NHK TV.
Takashi Wakabayashi, a worker at a convenience store in Ishikawa Prefecture, said some items had tumbled from the shelves, but the biggest problem was the huge crowd of people who had shown up to stock up on bottled water, rice balls and bread following the quake.
“We have customers at three times the level of usual,” he said.
Japanese media footage showed people running through the streets, and red smoke spewing from a fire in a residential neighborhood. Photos showed a crowd of people, including a woman with a baby on her back, standing by huge cracks that had ripped through the pavement.
Some people sustained minor injuries when they tripped and fell while fleeing, or objects fell off shelves and hit them, according to NHK.
The Japan Meteorological Agency initially 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, but then downgraded it to a regular tsunami warning several hours later, meaning waves still reach up to 10 feet.
President Joe Biden said his administration stands ready to assist Japan, citing the longtime friendship between the two countries.
"Jill and I are praying for the people of Japan who have been impacted by the terrible earthquake," Biden said in a statement. "Our thoughts are with the Japanese people during this difficult time."
NHK initially warned torrents of water could reach as high as 5 meters (16.5 feet).
Japan is an extremely quake-prone nation. In March 2011, a major quake and tsunami caused meltdowns at a nuclear plant. The latest warning was the first time since the 2011 disaster that a tsunami warning of this magnitude was issued.
A goverment spokesman told reporters that nuclear plants in the affected area had not reported any irregularities on Monday. Nuclear regulators said no rises in radiation levels were detected at the monitoring posts in the region.
Contributing: The Associated Press
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Four dead after strong quake hits Japan, sparking tsunami fears
