KYODO/Reuters
- Japan issued tsunami alerts after a series of powerful earthquakes.
- Quakes hit from 2 a.m. ET Monday off the coast of Ishikawa, one of them with a magnitude of 7.6.
- Japanese public broadcaster NHK TV warned torrents of water could reach as high as 16.5 feet.
Japan has issued tsunami warnings and evacuation orders after a series of powerful earthquakes hit the country overnight, destroying buildings and disrupting electricity and cellphone services.
Waves could reach up to 16.5 feet (five meters), according to Japanese public broadcaster NHK TV, which urged people to flee to high land or the top of nearby buildings.
"We realise your home, your belongings are all precious to you, but your lives are important above everything else. Run to the highest ground possible," an NHK presenter said, according to the BBC.
It comes after the Japan Meteorological Agency reported 21 earthquakes registering 4.0 magnitude or stronger struck central Japan in just over 90 minutes on Monday. One of them had an estimated magnitude of 7.6.
Videos broadcast on Japanese TV appear to show cracks in roads, subway trains shaking and buildings collapsing.
The agency added there is a 10 to 20% chance more earthquakes of similar magnitude could hit within the next few days.
The Japan Meteorological Agency issued a "major tsunami warning" for Noto, Ishikawa Prefecture, warning of waves as high as 16 feet. Tsunami warnings were also issued for the neighboring Niigata and Toyama prefectures, where waves are expected to reach nearly 10 feet.
Japan Meteorological Center
It is the first time such warnings have been issued since the 2011 tsunami that hit Japan following a 9.0 magnitude earthquake, causing the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster and the death of more than 18,000 people.
Waves during the 2011 tsunami reached heights up to almost 130 feet.
Government spokesman Yoshimasa Hayashi said that nuclear plants in the area had not yet reported any problems. He added that it was critical for people in coastal areas to get away from the oncoming tsunami.
"Every minute counts. Please evacuate to a safe area immediately," he said.
The city of Wajima in Ishikawa prefecture has already reported tsunami waves of almost four feet, according to NHK. Toyama prefecture, and Kashiwazaki, Niigata prefecture, also reported smaller tsunami waves.
Warnings of waves up to a meter three feet high were also issued for parts of North Korea and Russia. Russian officials issued a tsunami alert for the island of Sakhalin.
Officials of Ishikawa Prefecture's Suzu City have confirmed that several houses and power poles have been brought down by a local earthquake, which registered at 7.4 in magnitude, per NKH TV.
Eugene Hoshiko
Around 33,000 households are without power with temperatures forecast to drop to 33 degrees Fahrenheit, NKH TV reported.
Six people are thought to be stuck under rubble in collapsed houses on the Noto Peninsula, and no information has been released on their condition, per The Guardian. Multiple people were also reported to be trapped in collapsed houses in Suzu, Ishikawa, per NHK TV.
Meanwhile, a fire has broken out in Wajima City, per The Guardian.
Small tsunami waves are common and cause little damage, but any waves with runups over one meter (3.28 feet) can be particularly dangerous to people living near coastal areas, per the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration website.
The force of the waves themselves can cause substantial damage, but tsunamis are also dangerous because they cause flooding, erosion, and strong currents that can drag people out to sea. They can also bring in floating debris like trees and cars, that can act like battering rams, per NOAA.
This story is developing.
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