A Magnitude 7 earthquake hit northern Japan around 6 a.m. on Tuesday. The quake struck near Fukushima Prefecture and triggered a tsunami alert. The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) says Filipinos in Japan are all safe from the quake.
Japan Earthquake Triggers Tsunami
Japan Agency reported a preliminary magnitude 7.4 but the United States Geological Survey (USGS) reported a magnitude of only 6.9. The quake triggered initial warnings of a tsunami with three-meter high waves. Japan Meteorological Agency confirmed that no tsunami damage is expected. At 12:50 p.m., all tsunami warnings were lifted.
According to Japan Times, the quake was an aftershock of the earthquake that hit Japan on March 11. Report further said the magnitude 7 quake was the first with the same magnitude since July 2014. Japan Meteorological Agency said the focus of the quake was around 25 kilometers under the Pacific Ocean off Fukushima which brought about a vertical fault movement.
Local fighters in Fukushima says some people suffered minor injuries. Residents were advised to stay indoors. The Meteorological Agency warned that there may be similar quakes the whole week.
Filipinos In Japan Safe From Earthquake
Manila Bulletin says Philippine Ambassador to Japan Manuel Lopez immediately checked on the Filipino community in Japan. Lopez released a statement to the Philippine News Agency through DFA spokesman Charles Jose saying no Filipinos were reported dead or injured.
Report further said the ambassador says some Filipinos might be in evacuation centers although there were no confirmations yet. The Philippine Consulate in Japan is checking if other Filipinos are affected in other areas.
Filipinos are advised to contribute to #citizenscience by following this link. Hilary Geoghegan on Twitter shared a snapshot of the link to invite people who felt the tremor to contribute to the site to know more about it. Hilary is a professor from University of Reading currently in Japan. She was away from the epicenter but felt the tremor.
Meteorite-Like Sighting Spotted In Japan After Earthquake
A Japanese netizen on Twitter posted a video of a meteor sighting shortly after the quake. Take a look. The caption in English, “A movie you took while preparing to die thought that it was a meteorite because there was an earthquake earlier.”
People from all over the world sent their heartfelt messages on social media for those who have been affected by the quake in Japan. Here are some of them.
Featured Photo Source: Wikimedia Commons