happened in Japan today powerful earthquake, which resulted in the evacuation of more than three thousand residents.
The eastern part of the country shuddered early in the morning, November 22, when seismologists registered an earthquake of magnitude 7.4. According to experts, the force of tremors in some areas reached five points.
Morning earthquake in Japan. Video
The Japanese meteorological center named the coast of Fukushima as the epicenter of the earthquake. It was here that in 2011, due to an earthquake and tsunami, a major accident occurred at a nuclear power plant.
Currently, more than 3 thousand people have been evacuated and more than 150 schools have been closed. 60 temporary collection points have been prepared for residents.
Immediately after the earthquake was reported, information about the threat of a tsunami appeared. According to Japanese media, the maximum height of the tsunami reached 1.4 meters, and in the area of the nuclear power plant in Fukushima - one meter. However, 4 hours after the earthquake, the threat level was lowered.
There is no information about seriously injured as a result of the earthquake, no major damage was recorded.
In October 2016, a strong earthquake also occurred in central Italy, when several people were injured and a large number of buildings were destroyed. The October earthquake in Italy was the strongest since 1980.
Elemental impact on Japan: earthquake, volcanic eruption and landslides
Since April 14, 2016, a series of earthquakes have occurred on the island of Kyushu in southeastern Japan. It is already known about the dead and two thousand injured, tens of thousands of people were left without water and electricity.
TOKYO, April 16 - RIA Novosti, Ksenia Naka. over the past three days, it has experienced three hundred earthquakes, as a result of the two strongest of them, more than 40 people died, more than 2 thousand were injured.
As it became clear on Saturday, the earthquake of magnitude 6.5, which occurred last Thursday and claimed more than a dozen lives, preceded the main earthquake of magnitude 7.3.
Main blow
An earthquake of magnitude 7.3 occurred on Saturday at 1.25 (19.25 Moscow time on Friday) in the same area of the prefecture, which was already affected by a strong tremor on Thursday. It was 16 times stronger than the previous earthquake and was on a par with the devastating disaster in Kobe in 1995, also of magnitude 7.3, which killed 6.5 thousand people.
"Give us drinking water!"
Written in huge letters in a schoolyard in Kumamoto City, the inscription is designed for help from a helicopter. Lack of water is the main problem in Kumamoto now. More than 400 thousand families in the city were left without water.
The state television channel NHK broadcasts information on where to get drinking water, which is distributed from special vehicles of the self-defense forces. Fountains with water, which can usually be found in Japanese cities everywhere on the street, "dry up" - people took all the water.
However, this is not the only problem in the affected areas. More than 100 thousand families continue to be left without electricity, the same number - without gas. Huge queues line up for humanitarian aid, blankets, food. People silently and disciplinedly wait for their turn to come, thank them and go home.
Help
The Ministry of Defense, assessing the scale of the disaster, decided to send 25,000 self-defense forces here by Sunday, April 17, which is more than 10 times higher than the number originally announced. The transport warship Osumi is also heading to Kumamoto, carrying humanitarian aid and food for 60,000 people.
The announcers of the central television channels address the viewers with an unusual appeal: “Look around to see if anyone needs your help. Pay attention to the elderly - they can silently endure and be shy to ask for help. Look outside if you are at an evacuation point - maybe you will see parents who are hesitant to go inside so as not to disturb others, since they have children. Feel free to turn to strangers: say kind words to the old people - they are tired and exhausted, take a child by the hand - he is scared. Talk to the person next to you."
Not just an earthquake: another disturbing night
On Saturday, April 16, earthquakes occurred not only in Kumamoto, strong tremors of magnitude 5.3 were recorded in the neighboring prefecture. Experts note that although the earthquakes in Kumamoto and Oita are likely unrelated, the area of distribution of tremors expanded and actually crossed the island of Kyushu from west to east. In just three days, about 300 earthquakes occurred in the area.
On Saturday it happened Aso volcano eruption, he threw a column of ash and smoke to a height of 100 meters. Meteorologists believe that the eruption is not related to a series of earthquakes and continue to monitor the situation.
Embassy of the Russian Federation in Japan: there is no data on the affected Russians yet.
But it seems that in Kumamoto it is still too early to say that the worst is over. Forecasters promise that on Sunday night it will begin torrential rains and squally winds. People at humanitarian aid points are handed out sheets of blue plastic tarpaulin along with food and blankets.
More than 150 millimeters of rain could fall in Kumamoto in the coming days. This will not only complicate the lives of those whose housing is damaged, but also carries a direct threat of new landslides and mountain avalanches.
Of particular concern is the area of the village of Minami-Aso: the landslide that descended on Saturday is painted black with an admixture of volcanic ash and hardened lava. Experts fear that a new landslide could turn into a real avalanche if it pulls volcanic rocks and rock with it.
Thousands cut off from world in Japan after earthquake
More than a thousand people were completely cut off from the world after strong earthquake on Saturday night in the village of Minami-Aso on the southwestern island of Kyushu, NHK reported.
The number of victims of a series of earthquakes in Japan is constantly growing, the number of victims on Saturday alone is 1.6 thousand.
Several dozen people have gathered in a mountain parking lot and are waiting to be evacuated by helicopter of the Self-Defense Forces. A landslide occurred in the village, under which 10 residential buildings were found, several people do not get in touch. The scale of the disaster is being specified.
In Minami-Aso in Kumamoto Prefecture, there were several two-story apartment buildings that were rented out to students of the Faculty of Agriculture at Tokai University. In three buildings, as a result of the earthquake, the second floor buried the first floor beneath it: outwardly, the buildings look like one-story buildings, since only the roof and the second floor are visible. From the rubble managed to rescue 10 people with injuries of varying severity. Two students died.
On Thursday, Kumamoto Prefecture on the west coast of Kyushu was hit by the first major earthquake of magnitude 6.5. At 1.25 on Saturday (19.25 Moscow time on Friday), an earthquake occurred there, 16 times stronger than the previous one, its magnitude was 7.3. The nearby prefecture of Oita was also hit by a magnitude 5.3 earthquake. In total, including aftershocks, more than 270 earthquakes occurred in Kumamoto and Oita prefectures. As a result of the natural disaster, more than 2.5 thousand people suffered, about 160 thousand families were left without electricity.
Japan earthquake death toll rises
Earlier it was reported about 27 dead as a result of a series of earthquakes on the west coast of the Japanese island of Kyushu. In total, more than 1,500 people have been affected, 160,000 families have been left without electricity, NHK TV reported.
On Thursday, Kumamoto Prefecture on the west coast of Japan's southwestern island of Kyushu was hit by the first major earthquake of magnitude 6.5. At 1.25 on Saturday (19.25 Moscow time on Friday), an earthquake occurred there, 16 times stronger than the previous one, its magnitude was 7.3. The nearby prefecture of Oita also experienced a magnitude 5.3 earthquake. In total, including aftershocks, more than 270 earthquakes occurred in Kumamoto and Oita prefectures.
Airport hit
Due to the destruction at the airport building in the city of Kumamoto on Japan's southwestern island of Kyushu, airlines canceled all flights for Saturday, the airport is closed, broadcaster NHK reported.
The runway was not badly damaged, but the ceiling collapsed in places in the terminal building, the floor was significantly damaged, and electricity was cut off. The exact number of canceled flights is not reported. A decision will be made on flights on Sunday at a later date.
Volcano erupts in Japan after earthquakes
He threw out a column of ash and smoke 100 meters high. The eruption was assigned the second level of danger out of five possible. A ban has been introduced on approaching the volcano within a radius of one kilometer due to the danger of ejection of volcanic stones.
Aso volcano eruption occurred in Kumamoto Prefecture in Japan, where two strong earthquakes have been recorded over the past two days, the country's main meteorological department said on Saturday.
Meteorologists are investigating the connection of the eruption with a second earthquake of magnitude 7.3 that occurred a few hours ago.
In mid-September, an eruption occurred on one of the craters of the volcano, as a result of which a third level of danger was introduced and access to the mountain was restricted. During the eruption in the city of Kumamoto, near the volcano, ash fell. A column of ash and smoke rose to a height of 2,000 meters. A ban was imposed on approaching the volcano within a radius of four kilometers due to the danger of ejection of large stones. Meteorologists called it the most powerful Aso eruption since 1979, when three people died in the disaster. Then in November, the alert level was again lowered to the second.
At 01.25 on Saturday (19.25 Friday Moscow time) in the southern prefecture of Kumamoto in Japan there was a strong earthquake with a magnitude of 7.3. It turned out to be 16 times stronger than the previous one, meteorologists called it the main one and expect aftershocks within a week. By this time, 25 aftershocks had already occurred. The epicenter of the earthquake was located in Kumamoto Prefecture. The source of the earthquake lay at a depth of ten kilometers.
TOKYO, November 22 - RIA Novosti, Ivan Zakharchenko. A powerful earthquake of magnitude 7.4 occurred at dawn (around midnight Moscow time) in the east of Japan, tremors also woke up the inhabitants of Tokyo.
According to the Japanese meteorological center, according to the local seven-point scale, the strength of the shocks reached five points in some areas, including on the coast. Pacific Ocean in Fukushima Prefecture, where in March 2011 an earthquake and tsunami caused a major accident at a nuclear power plant.
seismologist data
The epicenter of the earthquake was located off the coast of Fukushima, the focus was at a depth of ten kilometers. The Japanese meteorological center initially reported the magnitude of the quake as 7.3, but NHK later corrected the data to 7.4.
The website of the Japan Meteorological Administration noted that after this earthquake, more than 30 residual tremors with a magnitude of 3.2 to 4.9 have already been recorded.
Japanese authorities warn of a possible recurrence of a strong earthquake and tsunami within a week. A spokesman for the disaster forecast service told the Kyodo news agency that residents should be prepared for new aftershocks up to five points on the Japanese seven-point scale and a tsunami.
Tsunami threat
Immediately after the earthquake, NHK began broadcasting tsunami warnings throughout east coast the main Japanese island of Honshu. It was expected that the wave height could reach three meters. Residents of a number of prefectures were instructed to evacuate away from the sea and climb high, solid buildings.
Media: in the east of Japan, a tsunami is expected after the earthquakeSeismic waves in the ocean are expected in connection with an earthquake with a magnitude of 7.3, the largest impact is expected in Fukushima Prefecture, where in 2011 an accident at a nuclear power plant also occurred from an earthquake and tsunami.Several thousand people were evacuated to safety. The operation of the airport in the city of Sendai has been suspended. According to the Kyodo agency, it will resume work in the afternoon.
In 2011, after an earthquake of magnitude 9.0, a giant wave 15 meters high hit Fukushima and the surrounding prefectures, as a result, about 20 thousand people died or went missing.
This time, according to Japanese media, the maximum height of the tsunami reached 1.4 meters, and in the area of the nuclear power plant in Fukushima - one meter. Four hours after the earthquake, the threat level was lowered.
The NHK TV channel showed video footage taken on a smartphone, which shows how one of the rivers “flowed back” from a tidal seismic wave.
There were no reports of damage or serious casualties.
There have been no reports of serious casualties from the current earthquake in Japan, Jun Matsumoto, Minister of Emergency Situations, said at a briefing.
According to the Kyodo agency, the help of doctors was required for several residents who received minor injuries. So, one old woman got out of bed during an earthquake and, falling, got bruised. Someone else was cut by pieces of broken glass.
There were also no major building damages.
State of Nuclear Power Plants
Since the earthquake occurred off the coast of Fukushima, the state of the nuclear power plants located there, which are in a frozen state after the 2011 accident, caused particular concern.
Tremors and tsunamis did not harm the nuclear power plants this time. However, according to the Kyodo news agency, at the Fukushima-2 nuclear power plant, the cooling system in the spent fuel tanks was automatically stopped. In total, 2544 nuclear reactor fuel rods are stored in the tank.
A spokesman for the station's management company, TEPCO, announced on NHK that the automation had been triggered by fluctuations in the water level in the tank. Then the cooling system started working again. As a result, neither radiation leakage nor an increase in the temperature of the rods occurred.
Published on 15.04.16 08:51
In Japan, on the island of Kyushu last night there was an earthquake of magnitude 6.5 points. The epicenter of the tremors was located near the city of Kumamoto
At least nine people became victims of the earthquake in Japan on April 14, 2016, and about 780 were injured. According to the Japanese broadcaster NHK, 22 of them are in critical condition.
"Helicopters with an infrared system fly over rubble areas where people may be. There are fears that the number of victims idhumkz could increase," Japan's Disaster Management Minister Taro Kono said.
The earthquake in Japan occurred in the southwest of the country. There are several nuclear reactors there. As noted by local authorities, fortunately, they "remained safe and sound," the nuclear power plant operators assure.
Earthquake in Japan, April 2016 VIDEO
It is specified that the first earthquake in Japan on April 14, 2016 occurred at 21.26 local time. After that, there were several more tremors, and the magnitude of the shock that occurred at 22:07 was 5.7 points, and the other 6.4. Shortly after midnight, another shock followed - a magnitude of 4.8. It happened on Friday night at 1:53.
As a result of the earthquake, dozens of houses were completely or partially destroyed, and fires also occurred in them. This is reported by local media with reference to emergency services and local authorities.
Consequences of the earthquake in Japan 2016 PHOTO
According to Rossiyskaya Gazeta, in Kumamoto Prefecture on Friday morning the staff and patients of the hospital were evacuated, the building of which could collapse at any moment. A high-speed train crash with no passengers is also reported. Fortunately, no one was hurt, but rail traffic on this route had to be suspended to check the tracks. Residents of at least 16,000 houses were left without electricity and gas, and some autobahns were damaged.
Earthquake in Japan 14.04.2016 VIDEO
Currently, work is underway to eliminate the consequences of a natural disaster. An additional 350 servicemen were sent to the disaster zone.
Specialists of the Japanese meteorological agency have warned of new tremors that may occur in the next few days.
The Japanese authorities urged residents of the affected areas to "act calmly and help each other."
"We must be very vigilant because of the strong tremors that may occur in the coming hours," - said also in the seismology department of the University of Tokyo.
According to the meteorological agency, in some places the tremors were comparable in strength to the devastating earthquake that occurred in Japan on March 11, 2011.
On Saturday, a 7.1 magnitude earthquake hit the southwest of the country. It affected the island of Kyushu, where an earthquake of magnitude 6.4 struck on Friday night, reports CNN. The US Geological Survey said the latest, most powerful quake hit southwest of the city of Kumamoto, about 14 kilometers from the quake's epicenter, which killed nine people.
The death toll from the earthquake in Kyushu has risen to 19 as of noon local time, Kumamoto Prefecture said. "Earthquake turned some houses into a pile of garbage. At least 23 people were buried under the rubble," - said the chief secretary of the Japanese Cabinet Yoshihide Suga. He added that 20,000 self-defense forces are currently deployed in the region to carry out rescue work.
Tremors, according to observers, apparently caused significant damage to the movable and immovable property of the inhabitants of the island, overturning cars and causing a collapse of the soil on the roads. This region, according to seismologists, was shaken by as many as 165 tremors, some of them were stronger than a magnitude of 5.3.
TV channels show mostly deserted streets in Kyushu, shards of broken glass on the streets, and frightened people who fill temporary centers in a panic.
Japan's Disaster Management Agency said 7,262 people have taken shelter in 375 centers since Friday in Kumamoto prefecture.
Victor Sardina, a geophysicist in Honolulu, Hawaii, told CNN that the latest earthquake was about 30 times more powerful than the one that hit Thursday. He predicted "difficult, serious consequences in terms of damage and loss of life."
The shallow depth of the earthquake, and it occurred at a depth of about 10 kilometers, and even more so in a densely populated area where it hit, according to experts, can really be devastating.
The quake prompted the Japan Meteorological Agency to issue tsunami warnings for Japan's coastal areas around 2 am on Saturday. The agency subsequently canceled them.
Japanese media also reported on the eruption of Mount Aso, which began around 8.30 am local time on Saturday. A small plume of smoke began to rise from the volcano. It is not yet clear whether the eruption was caused by an earthquake, the Japan Meteorological Agency said.
In a video posted to Instagram, people standing in a parking lot in Kumamoto scream heart-rendingly after the aftershocks. TV Asahi showed a rescue team crawling under the collapsed roof of a house in an attempt to find an elderly couple. However, only an 80-year-old man was rescued from the rubble.
Journalist Mike Firn, who is based in Tokyo, told CNN that he felt vibrations in a building that is 900 kilometers from the earthquake's epicenter.
"The building began to shake. These were quite strong vibrations that lasted more than a minute. The buildings swayed and cracked," the journalist specified.
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will head to Kumamoto Prefecture on Saturday afternoon.