Natural Disaster / Strong Earthquake Strikes Japan, Fukushima Plant Suspends Water Release
·3 months ago·2 min read
Key Points
- 7.6-magnitude quake hits northeastern Japan; tsunami warnings issued for Aomori, Iwate and Hokkaido.
- Fukushima wastewater discharge suspended as precaution; no nuclear abnormalities reported.
- Power outages, minor injuries and Shinkansen service disruption reported across affected regions.
Tokyo, Dec 9: A powerful earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 7.6 struck northeastern Japan late Monday night, leading to the immediate suspension of ocean discharge of treated radioactive wastewater from the damaged Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant as a precautionary measure.
The temblor occurred at 11:15pm local time at a depth of 50 km, measuring upper 6 on Japan's seismic scale of 7 in the city of Hachinohe, Aomori Prefecture, triggering a tsunami warning for coastal areas of Aomori, Iwate and Hokkaido prefectures, said the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA), Xinhua News Agency reported.
No abnormalities have been reported by nuclear plants in Hokkaido or in the northeastern prefectures of Aomori, Miyagi and Fukushima, public broadcaster NHK reported.
Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) said that the discharge of nuclear-contaminated wastewater from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant into the ocean was halted at 11:42pm local time following the issuance of a tsunami warning.
In Aomori and Hokkaido, there have been reports of several non-life-threatening injuries. The Aomori prefectural government said that around 2,700 homes were left without power, Kyodo News reported.
The waves are expected to be up to 3 meters high on the Iwate Prefecture coast, the central Pacific coastal areas of Hokkaido and the Pacific coast of Aomori Prefecture, the JMA said, urging people in affected areas to immediately evacuate to higher ground.
Waves of 50 centimetres were observed in the town of Urakawa, Hokkaido, at 12:21 a.m. local time Tuesday and in Kuji Port, Iwate Prefecture, at 12:10am local time, the JMA added.
According to Japan Railways, Tohoku Shinkansen bullet train services in northeastern Japan have been suspended in both directions between Fukushima Station and Shin-Aomori Station due to the quake.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara said the government was gathering information on casualties and property damage.
Also Read: Fresh Internet Shutdown Hits Balochistan, Residents Face Major Disruptions
The government set up a crisis management office at the Prime Minister's Office in response to the earthquake.
(IANS)
The temblor occurred at 11:15pm local time at a depth of 50 km, measuring upper 6 on Japan's seismic scale of 7 in the city of Hachinohe, Aomori Prefecture, triggering a tsunami warning for coastal areas of Aomori, Iwate and Hokkaido prefectures, said the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA), Xinhua News Agency reported.
No abnormalities have been reported by nuclear plants in Hokkaido or in the northeastern prefectures of Aomori, Miyagi and Fukushima, public broadcaster NHK reported.
Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) said that the discharge of nuclear-contaminated wastewater from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant into the ocean was halted at 11:42pm local time following the issuance of a tsunami warning.
In Aomori and Hokkaido, there have been reports of several non-life-threatening injuries. The Aomori prefectural government said that around 2,700 homes were left without power, Kyodo News reported.
The waves are expected to be up to 3 meters high on the Iwate Prefecture coast, the central Pacific coastal areas of Hokkaido and the Pacific coast of Aomori Prefecture, the JMA said, urging people in affected areas to immediately evacuate to higher ground.
Waves of 50 centimetres were observed in the town of Urakawa, Hokkaido, at 12:21 a.m. local time Tuesday and in Kuji Port, Iwate Prefecture, at 12:10am local time, the JMA added.
According to Japan Railways, Tohoku Shinkansen bullet train services in northeastern Japan have been suspended in both directions between Fukushima Station and Shin-Aomori Station due to the quake.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara said the government was gathering information on casualties and property damage.
Also Read: Fresh Internet Shutdown Hits Balochistan, Residents Face Major Disruptions
The government set up a crisis management office at the Prime Minister's Office in response to the earthquake.
(IANS)
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