Strong earthquakes hit Japan, Andaman Islands
Tsunami generated following earthquake in Japan
 

From the BNO Newsroom.

PORT BLAIR, Andaman Islands / SHIZUOKA, Japan (BNO NEWS) -- A massive earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 7.6 struck off India's Andaman Islands on Tuesday morning, officials say. A second earthquake, which generated a tsunami and injured dozens of people, struck Japan only minutes later.

The first earthquake, with a magnitude of 7.6, struck 160 miles north of Port Blair on the Andaman Islands of India, the United States Geological Survey reported. It happened at 1.55 a.m. local time and struck about 20 miles deep. It was initially reported as a 7.7 magnitude earthquake, but was quickly revised. The magnitude remains subject to change, although a large revision is not expected. A hotel manager in Myanmar said the shaking lasted for several minutes.

A seismologist at the United States Geological Survey told BNO News that the earthquake appears to be an aftershock to the major earthquake in December 2004, which sparked a deadly tsunami that killed hundreds of thousands of people in the region. He said aftershocks can continue for years.

After the earthquake, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center issued a tsunami watch for India, Myanmar, Indonesia, Thailand and Bangladesh. The watch was cancelled around 6.15 p.m. EDT. "Sea level readings indicate that a significant tsunami was not generated. Therefore the tsunami watch issued by this center is now canceled," it said.

In a bulletin around 5.10 p.m. EDT, the agency falsely confirmed that a tsunami was generated in the Indian Ocean. It retracted the statement about 15 minutes later.

A separate earthquake, with a preliminary magnitude of 6.4 to 6.6, struck Japan. It struck at 5.07 a.m. local time, about 20 miles off Shizuoka in Japan. A tsunami warning was immediately issued for the Izu Islands and the Shizuoka Prefecture, but was canceled around 6.30 p.m. EDT.

In two statements, the Japan Meteorological Agency and the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center confirmed that a tsunami had been generated. It reportedly had a height of about two feet and struck the coasts in Omaezeki and Yaizu. Two feet, which means the wave is two feet above normal sea wave activity, does not indicate the maximum height. Local conditions and undersea landslides can create major changes in the wave action. Smaller tsunamis were also detected at the observation sites in Numazu-shi Uchiura, Shimizu, Shimoda-ko and Yaizu, but there were no reports of damage.

Strong shaking was felt in the city of Tokyo. NHK, Japan's government broadcaster, reported that the Chubu Electric Power nuclear power plant at Hamaoka automatically shut down two units for safety checks. The number 4 and 5 reactors were shut down, but no environmental changes were detected at nearby posts.

In the area of the epicenter, trains and flights were briefly suspended as a precaution to check for damage. At one temple, a roof partly collapsed and grave stones tumbled, NHK said. Other damage was reported in stores, where products fell to the ground. A highway was also closed, according to Reuters, without providing a location. Damage reports are still coming in. At least 37 people were reported injured near the epicenter.

There were no immediate reports of casualties from the earthquake in the Indian Ocean, which does not appear to be related to the earthquake in Japan. The West Coast and Alaska Tsunami Warning Center said there was no threat to the U.S. coast from any of the two earthquakes.

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