7.4 magnitude earthquake triggers tsunami in Japan

TOKYO - A massive 7.4 magnitude earthquake that struck off the coast of Fukushima in north-east Japan on Monday triggered Tsunami waves of more than 1m as authorities warned residents to flee to higher ground.

According to the details, The quake struck at about 06:00 local time (21:00 GMT Monday), the Japan Meteorological Agency said.

The tsunami warning for Fukushima prefecture and Miyagi prefecture was downgraded to advisory almost four hours after the quake struck, with the Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre saying the threat had largely passed.

The quake also posed threat to Japan's Fukushima nuclear power plant as it caused a meltdown there although the cleaning operation is underway.

CCTV cameras recorded the spine-chilling moments of quake.

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The earthquake had a preliminary magnitude of 7.3 but was later downgraded to 6.9 by the US Geological Survey. It epicentre was at a depth of about 10 kilometres, off the coast of the Fukushima nuclear power plant, which suffered a triple meltdown after the 2011 quake and tsunami disaster, BBC reported.

An earthquake and tsunami struck the same area in 2011 killing more than 18,000 people, however the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center in Hawaii said the current tsunami threat had now largely passed.

“Sea level fluctuations may continue along some coasts of Japan over the next few hours,” it said.