FUKUSHIMA, Japan, Nov. 21 (UPI) — A powerful earthquake rocked the east coast of Japan early Tuesday, in the same area a quake-induced tsunami killed more than 15,000 people five years ago.
The quake, measured at a magnitude of 6.9 by the U.S. Geological Survey, hit off the coast about 20 miles southeast of the town of Namie at about 6 a.m. local time Tuesday.
The Japan Meteorological Agency measured the quake at 7.3.
The quake triggered a tsunami warning for Aomore, Iwate, Ibaraki and Chiba prefectures. The region was devastated by a similar tsunami in 2011 that killed more than 15,000 people and damaged nuclear reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant.
Authorities encouraged residents in the immediate danger zone to evacuate.
NBC News reported Monday that rumbling and shaking could be felt 150 miles away in Tokyo.
Possible damage or injuries weren’t immediately clear.
The USGS recorded two aftershocks with magnitudes of 5.3 and 4.8.
Tectonic activity that produces earthquakes and volcanic eruptions is common in Japan and other nations in the Pacific Rim, which is commonly referred to as the “Ring of Fire.”
