Huge 6.8 magnitude earthquake destroys homes and crumbles hillsides

05 May 2023 , 06:42

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Huge 6.8 magnitude earthquake destroys homes and crumbles hillsides

Chaos has broken out with homes destroyed and hillsides crumbling after a massive 6.8-magnitude earthquake in Japan.

The rumble struck in the Noto region of Ishikawa Prefecture, which is situated opposite Tokyo, at around 14.42pm local time (06.42am GMT).

Japan Meteorological Agency said the quake had a depth of 10 km and a magnitude of 6.8, and warned of looming aftershocks.

In Suzu City, the local fire department reported two buildings had collapsed in the immediate aftermath of the earthquake.

Images shared on social media showed one family home completely collapsed in on itself after the strength of the shakes.

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In another video, drivers are seen swerving out of the way after a piece of hillside in Ishikawa came loose and tumbled down onto the motorway below.

A hotel in Japan's Ishikawa Noto, which has been completely destroyed by the shake (@NorthKoreaJAPAN/Twitter)

One clip, recorded from a mountaintop in Ishikawa, shows the camera shaking uncontrollably as tremors grip the area.

During large earthquakes, officials seek to notify the public if there is any damage to nuclear power plants after the catastrophic earthquake and tsunami in 2011 destroyed the Fukushima Power Plant in one of the world's worst nuclear disasters.

According to Japan's nuclear watchdog, the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa Nuclear Power Station in Kariwa, Niigata Prefecture, where a seismic intensity of 4 was observed, has been shut down and monitoring is underway. At the moment, the radiation dose is normal.

Drivers had to swerve after a boulder dislodged from the hillside (@roketdan2/Twitter)

Officials have warned people to stay inside and beware of falling rocks (@roketdan2/Twitter)

Professor at the University of Tokyo Earthquake Research Institute Kenji Satake warned that the seismic activity could become worse over the coming hours and days.

He said: "Seismic activity has continued to be active in the Noto Peninsula for the past several years. It is a class earthquake, and there is a risk that seismic activity will become more active than usual in the future."

Cityscape from Kenroku-en garden, Ishikawa Prefecture, Kanazawa, Japan

Japan's Noto region is often hit with earthquakes. In March 2007, a 6.9-magnitude rumble killed one person and damaged more than 30,000 buildings.

In 1993, another shake of 6.6-magnitude struck off the Noto Peninsula's northern coast.

Ryan Fahey