Powerful earthquake hits Japan,triggering tsunami warnings

Tokyo: A powerful 7.6-magnitude earthquake struck an area along the west coast of Japan, causing a tsunami wave of at least 4 feet as well as home collapses and a large fire.

The earthquake left four people dead and two others seriously injured, according to authorities in Ishikawa prefecture.

The earthquake struck at 4:10 p.m. local time at a depth of 10 kilometers (6 miles) in the Noto Peninsula of Ishikawa prefecture, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS).

The Japan Meteorological Agency immediately issued a tsunami warning along coastal regions of western Japan, and the first waves were reported hitting the coast just over 10 minutes later.

Some of the first reports came from the city of Wajima in Ishikawa prefecture, which saw tsunami waves of around 1.2 meters (3.9 feet) around 4:21 p.m., according to Japanese public broadcaster NHK. No immediate damage was reported. The tsunami warnings along portions of Japan’s western coast were later removed.