Newsman: More than 2 million homes in the Tokyo area into darkness as a tsunami tsunami threat triggered when a powerful earthquake of 7.3 magnitude struck off the coast of Fukushima in northern Japan on Wednesday night . Four people were killed and at least 97 people were injured in multiple district of Japan according to The Associated Press. Kyodo News agency reported one of Japan’s Tohoku Shinkansen high-speed rail-line trains derailed with 100 passengers on board.No injuries were reported, the agency said. The Japan Meteorological Agency said the quake hit at 11:36 p.m. at a depth of 36 miles below the sea.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida told reporters that the government was assessing the extent of damage and promised to do its utmost for rescue and relief operations.
“Please first take action to save your life,” Kishida tweeted.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno told reporters that there were also no abnormalities at two other nuclear power plants in the area.
“We are doing our utmost in rescue operations and putting people’s lives first,” he said.
Matsuno said there were a number of emergency calls and local authorities were scrambling to assess damage.
He urged residents in the affected areas to use extra caution for possible major aftershocks for about a week
Japan’s NHK national television’s World news service said tsunami waves of 8 inches already reached shore in one area. There were reports of fire, damage to buildings and falling rocks in Iitate town in Fukushima. There was no word on any casualties NHK said.
A tsunami threat was issued for the east coast of Honshu, Japan, by the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center based on preliminary earthquake parameters. The center warned of possible hazardous tsunami waves for coastal communities within 186 miles of the epicenter.
In 2011, a strong earthquake struck in the same general area causing a tsunami and causing a nuclear disaster at Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant.
