Tsunami Warning Lifted After 7.3 Earthquake Strikes Near Japan
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Jason Reed/Thinkstock(TOKYO) — A tsunami warning has been lifted for the northeastern region of Japan following a 7.3-magnitude earthquake that struck off the coast of Miyagi prefecture on Friday.
The quake rattled the coast of Japan just after 5 p.m. local time. Tsunami waves were recorded in at least five different locations — the largest being in Ishinomaki at 3 feet — according to the Japan Meteorological Agency.
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center says there was never a risk of widespread tsunami warnings.
All flights were grounded at Sendai Airport, and travelers were evacuated to the higher grounds in the terminal, according to an official.
The Tokyo Electric Power Company says no damage has been reported at monitoring posts and water treatment facilities at all reactors at the Fukushima Dai-ichi plant, which was crippled by a magnitude-9.0 earthquake and ensuing tsunami that slammed into northeastern Japan on March 11, 2011. That quake killed or left missing some 19,000 people, devastating much of the coast.
All the workers at the plant were moved to higher ground on the site and told to stay inside following Friday’s tsunami warning, which was lifted about two hours after the quake struck.
Japan’s NHK news reported that 10 people were transported to the hospital, including a 75-year-old woman in Ishinomaki who fell while trying to evacuate to higher ground.
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