Fukushima, April 08: Following a new 7.4 magnitude earthquake that hit Japan’s northeastern coasts, workers at the crisis-hit Fukushima nuclear plant have been evacuated.
The strong earthquake on Thursday hit 25 miles (40 kilometers) under the water and off the coast of Miyagi prefecture which has already been ravaged by a destructive quake and tsunami on March 11.
The Japan meteorological agency issued a tsunami warning for a wave of up to 6 feet (two meters) for the country’s northern coastal area.
“After the earthquake and the tsunami warning, all the workers evacuated to a safe area. The company confirmed all the workers have cleared the plant safely,” a spokesman for Fukushima plant’s operator, Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) said on Thursday.
“We have no information immediately indicating any abnormality at Fukushima Daiichi plant,” the spokesman said in a press conference, adding that “we will release new information as it becomes available.”
No initial damage or casualties have been reported in Miyagi Prefecture; however, blackouts have been reported in Fukushima and Yamagata.
According to US Geological Survey, the quake struck off the eastern coast, 140 kilometers from Fukushima and 345 kilometers from Tokyo.
——–Agencies