Tokyo, Nov 9, (dpa/GNA) – The Japanese weather agency issued a tsunami advisory on Sunday for parts of north-eastern Japan, after a powerful earthquake struck off the country’s Pacific coast.
According to the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA), the quake struck off the coast of the north-eastern prefecture of Iwate in the late afternoon, at a depth of approximately 10 kilometres with a magnitude of 6.7.
The US Geological Survey recorded a magnitude of 6.8 for the quake. Seismologists subsequently registered further tremors, including one with a magnitude of 6.4.
The advisory for Iwate is one level below a full tsunami warning in Japan’s alert system.
People were urged to stay away from coastal areas and river mouths. The JMA said waves could reach a height of up to 1 metre.
Japan lies in one of the world’s most seismically active zones, where earthquakes occur frequently.
In July, a powerful quake off Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula sent small tsunami waves to Japan’s Pacific coast.
GNA