At least six homes damaged in Japan earthquake

At least six homes in Japan have been damaged by the earthquakes, with people trapped inside, Report informs, citing Al Jazeera.

A fire has broken out in Wajima city, Ishikawa prefecture, and electricity is out for more than 30,000 households, government spokesperson Yoshimasa Hayashi said, adding that Japan’s military was taking part in the rescue efforts.

Japanese media footage showed people running through the streets, and red smoke spewing from a fire in a residential neighbourhood.

More than a dozen strong quakes had been detected in the region, with risks of setting off landslides and houses collapsing, according to the Meteorological Agency.

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Japan was rocked Monday by a powerful earthquake measuring a 7 on Japan’s shindo scale — the strongest rating — prompting tsunami warnings for the length of the country's western coast, Report informs, citing The Japan Times.

A major tsunami warning — the highest level of alert — was issued for Ishikawa Prefecture’s Noto Peninsula, with the weather agency warning of waves of up to 5 meters in the area. Other areas of the Sea of Japan coast, from Hokkaido to Nagasaki, were under tsunami warnings or advisories, with waves of up to 3 meters forecast.

Tsunami waves had already arrived in some areas.

The tsunami warning for Ishikawa, Niigata, Toyama, and Yamagata prefectures urged people to quickly leave coastal areas, with over 1.2-meter waves reaching the Noto Peninsula’s Wajima Port in Ishikawa at around 4:21 p.m., NHK reported.

People experiencing a tsunami of over 1 meter are considered “highly likely to be unable to stand, with the possibility of death,” according to the Meteorological Agency.