An earthquake hits Northwestern Japan

On the night of Tuesday, June 18, 2019, a powerful 6.8-magnitude earthquake hit Yamagata Prefecture in Northwestern Japan. No significant material or human losses have been reported to-date.

Fearing a tidal wave, authorities have immediately issued a tsunami warning for the Northwest coast of Honshu Island. This alert was lifted two hours after the occurrence of the disaster.

As a security measure, several train lines were suspended while some power outages were reported.

Japan is located at the crossroads of 4 tectonic plates. The country suffers several earthquakes each year, some of which are among the most violent in the world. The last major event took dates back to 2011. This earthquake with a 9 magnitude on the Richter scale, followed by a tsunami and a nuclear disaster which, that hit Fukushima, claimed the lives of 11 000 people.

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