Fukushima hit again by quake

TOKYO: A powerful earthquake rocked northern Japan early yesterday, briefly disrupting cooling functions at a nuclear plant and generating a small tsunami that hit the same Fukushima region devastated in 2011.

The cooling system at the Daini Plant was shut down but was later restarted, said a spokesman for Tokyo Electric Power.

The magnitude 7.4 quake, which was felt in Tokyo, sent thousands of residents fleeing for higher ground as dawn broke along the northeastern coast. There were no reports of deaths or serious injuries.

A 1.4-metre wave was recorded at Sendai, about 70km north of Fukushima, with smaller waves hitting ports elsewhere along the coast, public broadcaster NHK said.

Television footage showed ships moving out to sea from harbours as tsunami warnings wailed after alerts of waves of up to three metres were issued.

Aerial footage showed tsunami waves rushing up rivers in some areas, and some fishing boats were overturned in the port of Higashi-Matsushima. – Reuters