Strong earthquake with a preliminary magnitude 6.9 shook northeastern Japan early this morning, catching residents in the morning rush hour.
Despite the severe intensity of the quake, The Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) has not issued a tsunami warning, and initial reports from the government indicate that There are no reports of deaths, serious injuries or severe structural damage.
The earthquake was recorded exactly at 07:30 local time (01:30 Bulgarian time) with an epicenter in the Pacific Ocean, off the coast of Iwate Prefecture, at a depth of about 50 kilometers.
Intensity „6-plus“: Difficulty standing and furniture falling
Despite the lack of victims, the feeling on land was extremely strong. In the city of Hashikami (Aomori Prefecture) the earthquake reached a level „Upper 6“ (6-plus) on the Japanese 7-point seismic intensity scale Shindo.
- This level is defined as the strength at which humans completely impossible to stay upright and have to crawl to move.
- There were widespread reports of heavy furniture overturned, items falling off shelves and broken windows in the affected areas.
- A slight shaking lasting about a minute was felt even in the capital Tokyo, hundreds of kilometers to the south.
Nuclear sites stable, Fukushima undamaged
Japanese government spokesman Minoru Kihara issued an emergency statement to reassure the international community about the safety of nuclear plants in the region, which were badly damaged in the 2011 disaster.
"There have been no anomalies or increases in radiation at nuclear facilities in the country", Kihara confirmed.
From Tohoku Electric Power and the State Nuclear Regulatory Agency declared that the shut-down reactors of the „Higashidori“ NPP, as well as the facilities of the „Onagawa“ NPP and the damaged „Fukushima-1“ are operating in normal emergency safety mode and their systems are not affected.
Transport Blockade: Supertrains Stopped and Highways Closed
Vednaga trace registerneto na trusa se zatyazhakha avtomatizte sistemi za sigurnost na yaponskata infrastructure:
- Влаковете-стрели: ЖКПътната компания JR East not funny preinstall the movementto on high-speed Vlakova superizrazTohoku Shinkansen between Sendai and Shin-Aomori.
- Highways: Frequently from the keys of express food in Aomori Prefecture byaha closure from the police for izvurshvane on haste inspections for puknatini on asphalt and paving.
Government mobilization
Premiere at Japan Sanae Takaichi razporedi nezabevnoto szdavane nacrisis shabkm Ministerial Council. Silite for the self-selected (Japanese army) veche zapochnaha air inspections from helicopters over the distant Planinski regions in Iwate and Aomori, for yes they will check for eventual activiran sweets.
Vlasti prizovaha citizens yes ostanat nashrek, ty kato in sushchiya district prez last mesetsi se observing zasilena seismic activity (inclusive silni trusove prez april and may), and ce ochakvat posledvashchi silni vtorichni trusove prez sledvaschite days.