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Ambulance crew members responding to calls after a strong earthquake in Iwaki, Fukushima prefecture, Japan February 13, 2021. © REUTERS / Issei Kato |
(RT) - A 7-magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of Japan’s Fukushima prefecture on Saturday, violently shaking cities on the eastern seaboard and prompting fears of a tsunami, weeks before the 2011 nuclear disaster’s anniversary.
Several seismological agencies have put the magnitude of the quake, which hit east of Japan’s largest island of Honshu, at 7.0 or higher.
Major #earthquake (#地震) shakes off East Coast of Honshu, Japan 8 min ago. Map of eyewitnesses' felt reports: pic.twitter.com/vqrbxMqt6C
— EMSC (@LastQuake) February 13, 2021
#BREAKING: A large earthquake has occurred off the coast of Fukushima, Japan. Early indications are that this was a 7.1 magnitude earthquake. More information coming in from the Japan Meteorological Agency show that this was an intense quake... Shake map below.. #Earthquake pic.twitter.com/8qxIkdGUnH
— Bryan Schuerman, M.Ed. (@BSchuermanWX) February 13, 2021
Powerful quake at 2308 Saturday evening in Japan. Intensity of 6+ (on scale to 7) in Fukushima and Miyagi. M7.1 in same area as major quake 10 years ago, but while powerful was smaller this time. No tsunami risk this time. pic.twitter.com/IYMDGTrF3P
— Martyn Williams (@martyn_williams) February 13, 2021
THERE MAY BE SOME CHANGES IN THE TIDE LEVEL DUE TO THE PREVIOUS EARTHQUAKE, BUT THERE IS NO CONCERN ABOUT TSUNAMI DAMAGE
— EARTHQUAKE & TSUNAMI (@EQTW) February 13, 2021
English speakers in Japan took to social media to express their shock at the earthquake, which some described as far more violent than any they had previously experienced.
#BREAKING #EARTHQUAKE #Earthquake in #Fukushima, #Japan M7.3, bad shaking in Tokyo.
— Nirmal Ghosh (@karmanomad) February 13, 2021
Heck of a strong quake off the coast of Fukushima; magnitude 7.1 , no tsunami threat pic.twitter.com/90cqYo54Ua
— Gearoid Reidy (@GearoidReidy) February 13, 2021
The earthquake led to power outages in the affected regions, and videos showed intense shaking inside homes, with furniture rattling and possessions flying off surfaces. A 4.9-magnitude aftershock was recorded half an hour after the quake initially hit.
地震が大きかったので、なぜか反射的に動画撮ってしまったけどなんかワロタ pic.twitter.com/VOSl6PnGfj
— ひめい (@himei42) February 13, 2021
Whoa a little shaking in Japan tonight. #Earthquake pic.twitter.com/Fg5vLATU73
— ダリル・ワートン-リグビー Darryl Wharton-Rigby (@whartonrigby) February 13, 2021
No issues were reportedly found at the Fukushima nuclear power plant after Saturday’s quake, the Kyodo news agency said.
I was so scared earlier bec of the quake Mag7 in Fukushima!
— 🍂ginger👑 • SB19 • 21/03/09 • IKALAWANG YUGTO💙 (@gingerale_22) February 13, 2021
No, not 3/11 again Lord please. please protect us!
I am still trembling, 😭😭😭
I was ready to go out of my apartment, but I couldn’t think of what to do. I was at loss! @SB19Official pic.twitter.com/9gOsTIbCAU
Haven’t felt this big of a quake in a while, even though the strongest quake was felt in Fukushima and not here in Tokyo. It’s almost the 10yr anniversary of 3.11 quake. https://t.co/0YzvoLuXyT
— Shoko Oda (@shoko_oda) February 13, 2021
“Because [the 2011 quake] was an enormous one, with a magnitude of 9.0, it’s not surprising to have an aftershock of this scale 10 years later,” he commented, explaining that there was no tsunami this time because of the earthquake’s comparatively deep epicenter.