It was initially not known whether there was damage to the nuclear ruins in Fukushima.
(Photo: AP)
Fukushima A strong earthquake shook the region around the nuclear ruins of Fukushima late Wednesday evening (local time). Japan’s meteorological agency issued a tsunami warning of up to one meter in height for the Pacific coast of Fukushima and Miyagi prefectures.
According to the operator, there were no further irregularities in the former nuclear power plant. In the greater Tokyo area, 250 kilometers away, buildings began to sway for an alarmingly long time.
There were initially no reports of major damage, but according to the Kyodo news agency, numerous people had to be taken to hospitals in the Fukushima region. The power went out temporarily in two million households. As is usual in such cases, the operation of high-speed trains was automatically stopped and roads in the north-east were closed.
The long-lasting 7.3-magnitude tremor occurred almost eleven years to the day after the region in the north-east of the Asian archipelago was devastated by a devastating magnitude 9 earthquake and triggered a massive tsunami, which caused core meltdowns at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant came. The islanders were spared such a catastrophe this time.
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Many Japanese had already gone to sleep when the walls suddenly shook just before midnight. Shortly thereafter, the tsunami warning was issued. The government in Tokyo immediately set up an emergency staff. According to initial information from the GFZ German Research Center for Geosciences, the earthquake was at a depth of 50 kilometers in the sea.
Japan is particularly prone to earthquakes
The new quake showed the islanders again what dangers awaited them. Strong earthquakes can come at any time. At some point, many fear that a severe earthquake will also hit Tokyo. Japan is one of the most earthquake-prone countries in the world.
On March 11, 2011, a gigantic tsunami hit the Pacific coast and flattened everything: towns, villages and huge areas of cultivation sank under the masses of water and mud. The flood killed around 20,000 people.
In Fukushima there was a super meltdown as a result of the earthquake and tsunami in the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. It became the symbol of the triple disaster known as “3/11” around the world – even if none of the deaths are attributed to radiation.
Panic did not arise among the population this time either. What is sometimes misunderstood in the West as equanimity is actually the composure and perseverance with which the Japanese face natural forces like these. The realization that, ultimately, the only way to live is to live on a powder keg has led the islanders to exceptional resilience in times of crisis.
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