Massive earthquake, tsunami jolt Japan

TOKYO — A powerful earthquake and tsunami struck central Japan and its western coast on Monday, triggering warnings for residents to evacuate, knocking out power to thousands of homes and disrupting rail services to the affected region.

The quake, with a preliminary magnitude of 7.6, triggered waves of around 1 meter along parts of the Sea of Japan coast with a larger wave expected, public broadcaster NHK reported.

The Japan Meteorological Agency has issued tsunami warnings for the coastal prefectures of Ishikawa, Niigata and Toyama.

A succession of 21 earthquakes registering 4.0 magnitude or stronger struck central Japan in just over 90 minutes, the agency said.

There were six cases of people being buried alive after houses collapsed, reported in Wajima, Ishikawa, where a large-scale fire also broke out following the quake, Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi told an emergency conference.

Russia also issued tsunami warnings in its far eastern cities of Vladivostok and Nakhodka. South Korea's weather agency also said on Monday that the tsunami would affect a part of the country's eastern coast.

Authorities are still assessing the extent of the damage and residents need to prepare for any more tremors, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said in comments aired on NHK.

"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," Kishida said.

Footage aired by NHK showed a building collapsing in a plume of dust in the coastal city of Suzu and residents of Kanazawa city cowering under tables as tremors shook their homes. The quake also jolted buildings in the capital Tokyo on the opposite coast.

More than 36,000 households have lost power in Ishikawa and Toyama prefectures, utilities provider Hokuriku Electric Power said.

High-speed rail services to Ishikawa have been suspended while telecom operators SoftBank and KDDI reported phone and internet service disruptions in Ishikawa and Niigata, according to their websites.

Japan's Nuclear Regulation Authority said no irregularities have been confirmed at nuclear power plants along the Sea of Japan, including five active reactors at Kansai Electric Power's Ohi and Takahama plants in Fukui Prefecture.

Hokuriku's Shika plant in Ishikawa, which was located the closest to the quake's epicenter, had already halted its two reactors before the quake for regular inspection and saw no impact from the quake, the agency said.

Agencies via Xinhua