A cluster of tremors off Japan’s northeastern coast has raised alarms among seismologists, as a new government study warns that up to 199,000 people could be killed if a magnitude-9 earthquake strikes.
The most recent quake, a magnitude 4.9 offshore tremor recorded on Sunday evening near Miyako in Iwate prefecture, was small and caused no reported damage.
Yet authorities are urging residents to remain vigilant and review their evacuation plans after a succession of smaller offshore quakes in recent days off Aomori and Fukushima prefectures, both within the wider Tohoku region.
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Dozens hurt after magnitude 7.5 quake in northeastern Japan
Dozens hurt after magnitude 7.5 quake in northeastern Japan
Dozens of minor quakes have struck off the coast in the past week, following a magnitude 7.5 earthquake late last Monday that injured at least 34 people and damaged properties across Aomori prefecture.
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The Japan Meteorological Agency has warned of the increased possibility of a magnitude 8 or stronger event occurring within days, in a region that still bears scars from the 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami that killed nearly 20,000 people.
The latest seismic swarm coincides with the release of an alarming update from the Central Disaster Management Council, which projects massive casualties and destruction should a “maximum-class” earthquake occur along two major ocean trenches off Japan’s northeast coast.
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The Japan Trench, running parallel to Ibaraki, Fukushima and Miyagi prefectures, and the Chishima Trench, extending off Iwate, Aomori and Hokkaido, are each thought to produce cataclysmic quakes every 300 to 400 years.
