Evacuation Starts in Japan’s Aomori Prefecture Following Tsunami Warning

Japanese authorities are evacuating people in the coastal areas of the Aomori Prefecture following a 6.8-magnitude earthquake.

TOKYO (Sputnik) – Japanese authorities are evacuating people in the coastal areas of the Aomori Prefecture where a tsunami warning was issued following a 6.8-magnitude earthquake, local media report, citing the country's seismological service.

The quake was also felt in the Iwate prefecture, where a tsunami warning was issued. Some tremor was reported in the Miyagi and Akita prefectures and Japan's capital Tokyo. There have been no reports of casualties or damages.

According to the US Geological Survey (USGS) the earthquake occurred at 23:06 on Monday off the east coast of Japan's largest and most populous island of Honshu.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said the quake's magnitude was 6.9, but did not issue any tsunami warnings.

According to the Richter scale, magnitude 6.0-6.9 earthquakes are considered to be strong and can lead to casualties and moderate to severe damage.

Japan suffered from a devastating 9.0 earthquake in March, 2011. The quake caused a major tsunami that led to a partial meltdown of several reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. The catastrophe claimed more than 15,000 lives. The nuclear disaster is considered the world's worst since Chernobyl.