Japan earthquake – live: Tsunami warnings as emergency services race to free trapped survivors

Images carried by local media showed a building collapsing in a plume of dust in the coastal city of Suzu and a huge crack in a road in Wajima where panicked-looking parents clutched their children. There have been reports of at least 30 collapsed buildings in Wajima, NHK reported, citing the city’s fire department.

The quake also jolted buildings in the capital Tokyo, some 500 km from Wajima on the opposite coast.

More than 36,000 households had lost power in Ishikawa and Toyama prefectures, utilities provider Hokuriku Electric Power said.

High speed rail services to Ishikawa have been suspended while telecom operators Softbank and KDDI reported phone and internet service disruptions in Ishikawa and Niigata, according to their websites.

Japanese airline ANA turned back planes headed to airports in Toyama and Ishikawa, while Japan Airlines cancelled most of its services to Niigata and Ishikawa regions and authorities said one of Ishikawa’s airports was closed.

The Wajima City Fire Department in Ishikawa says it has received at least 30 reports of buildings collapsing.

While the “major tsunami warning” for the Ishikawa Prefecture has been downgraded to a “tsunami warning”, officials are still urging caution, with people in the area being asked to evacuate.

“Run!” a bright yellow warning flashed across television screens advising residents in specific areas of the coast to immediately evacuate their homes

Several houses have been destroyed and army units have been dispatched to help with rescue operations, top government spokesperson Yoshimasa Hayashi told reporters, adding that authorities were still assessing the extent of the damage.

More strong quakes in the area, where seismic activity has been simmering for more than three years, could occur over coming days, JMA official Toshihiro Shimoyama said.

In comments to the press shortly after the quake struck, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida also warned residents to prepare for more disasters.

“Residents need to stay on alert for further possible quakes and I urge people in areas where tsunamis are expected to evacuate as soon as possible,” Kishida said.

Japan is on high alert after a series of powerful earthquakes, including one registering as magnitude 7.6, rattled north-central parts of the country on New Year’s Day.

A succession of 30 earthquakes, each registering between 4 to 6.2, hit central Japan in the span of just 90 minutes on Monday afternoon, the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) said.

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A tsunami measuring under one metre (3.3 ft) reached South Korea’s east coast in the wake of a massive earthquake that hit Japan on Monday, South Korea’s meteorological agency said, which added there may be more and larger waves in the next hours.

The first tsunami to reach South Korea’s coast was 67 cm (2.2 ft) but it may increase in size after the initial waves and may continue for more than 24 hours, the meteorological agency said

Separately, North Korea issued tsunami warnings for its coast of possible waves of more than 2 metres, South Korea’s Yonhap news agency reported, citing the North’s state radio.

South Korea’s Gangwon province warned residents to take precautions and evacuate to higher ground, according to the Ministry of Interior and Safety.

The east coast province told residents in emergency messages to stay away from the coast and evacuate to higher ground. The city of Samcheok advised residents to move to areas higher than a three-storey building, the ministry said.

Japan has downgraded its “major tsunami warning” for the Noto region to a lower level “tsunami warning”, Reuters has reported.

Tsunami warnings also remain in place for the neighbouring Niigata and Toyama prefectures.

When officials issued the major alert earlier, it was the first time they had done so since the 2011 earthquake in Japan which killed nearly 20,000 people.

A huge fire has been seen burning in Wajima in Ishikawa prefecture following the earthquake, with emergency services also dealing with six cases of people being buried under rubble in the city.