Powerful quake strikes off northeastern Japan, tsunami warning issued

Powerful quake strikes off northeastern Japan, tsunami warning issued

2011-04-07 22:32:00 GMT+7 (ICT)

TOKYO (BNO NEWS) -- A powerful earthquake struck off the coast of northeastern Japan on late Thursday evening, seismologists and witnesses said, prompting a tsunami warning for a small part of its coastline.

The 7.4-magnitude earthquake at 11.32 p.m. local time (1432 GMT) was centered about 66 kilometers (41 miles) east of Sendai. It struck about 40 kilometers (24 miles) deep, making it a shallow earthquake, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA).

JMA immediately issued a tsunami warning for Miyagi Prefecture and advised residents there to immediately evacuate to a safe place away from the shore. Tsunami advisories are in effect for the Pacific Coast of Aomori Prefecture, Iwate Prefecture, Fukushima Prefecture, and Ibaraki Prefecture.

There were no immediate reports of damage or casualties, although the earthquake was widely felt across the country and as far away as Tokyo.

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