Fukushima region: At least one dead after earthquake in Japan

Damaged homes, broken roads: A magnitude 7.4 earthquake shook the Japanese region of Fukushima and brought back memories of the 2011 disaster. At least one person died and more than 160 were injured.

At least one person was killed in a strong earthquake in the Japanese region of Fukushima, according to new official information. Government spokesman Hirokazu Matsuno said two other deaths were not a direct result of the quake and a third was still under investigation. 161 people were injured.

A 7.4-magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of Fukushima just before midnight (local time) at a depth of about 56 kilometres. During this, more than two lakh houses suffered power cuts. About 36,400 households in northeastern Japan still have no electricity, and 4,300 homes currently do not have water. The initially issued tsunami warning was lifted early in the morning.

According to the competent supervisory authority, there were no irregularities in the nuclear ruins at Fukushima. A fire alarm was set here due to the earthquake. But there was no fire, the Nuclear Regulatory Authority assured. A failed cooling system can be reactivated in a cooling pond for the used fuel rods of the second nuclear power plant, Fukushima Daini, twelve kilometers south of the nuclear ruins.

Strong aftershocks expected

The severe tremor woke many people in the Northeast and other regions, including Tokyo. One person was killed in Soma, Fukushima Prefecture, local media reported. Two people were also killed in the neighboring province of Miyagi after they fainted and collapsed as a result of the long-lasting earthquake.

Several houses were badly damaged and roads were damaged by the earthquake. Witnesses, including a security guard in Soma, told Kyodo News Agency that parked cars “jumped up and down as the ground trembled.” According to the railway company JR East, a Shinkansen bullet train derailed north of Fukushima. No one got injured. However, 75 passengers and three railway employees were stranded for four hours before the train could deboard.

According to Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, the government is on high alert as more severe earthquakes could occur in the next two to three days. Kishida said the government was assessing the damage. He promised to do everything in his power for the rescue and relief efforts. “Please act first to save your life,” he tweeted.

Eleven years ago the triple disaster

About eleven years ago, on March 11, 2011, a devastating magnitude 9 earthquake and the resulting tsunami devastated the Fukushima region. The flood took the lives of about 20,000 people. In Fukushima, the result was a super meltdown at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant.

Japan is known as the Pacific Ring of Fire, where tectonic plates collide. Hence the country is regularly affected by earthquakes. Strict construction regulations are designed to ensure that buildings can withstand strong vibrations.