Terrifying videos have revealed the power of a 7.6-magnitude earthquake that struck northeastern Japan late on Monday, shaking buildings violently and triggering a tsunami.
The Japan Meteorological Agency said a tsunami hit Japan's northeastern coast after the earthquake struck off the coast at 11pm local time.
Tsunami warnings were issued for the prefectures of Hokkaido, Aomori and Iwate, and tsunamis up to 28 inches high were observed at several ports, JMA said.
The epicentre of the quake was 50 miles off the coast of Aomori prefecture, at a depth of 33 miles, the agency added.
Video footage showed buildings and stationary vehicles trembling as the ground beneath them shook violently.
Another clip showed a terrified man in his home watching lights bounce around amid the earthquake, while a third showed a siren being sounded, warning citizens of the imminent danger.
Though a tsunami warning was earlier issued, it was later lifted by authorities.
On Japan's 1-7 scale of seismic intensity, the tremor registered as an 'upper 6' in Hachinohe city, Aomori prefecture.
This quake was strong enough to make it impossible to keep standing or move without crawling. In such tremors, most heavy furniture can collapse and wall tiles and windowpanes are damaged in many buildings.
There was little information of major damage or casualties from public broadcaster NHK. It cited a hotel employee in Hachinohe as saying a number of people were injured and taken to hospital, but that all were conscious
'There is a possibility that further powerful and stronger earthquakes could occur over the next several days,' a JMA official said at a briefing.
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