Earthquake of 7.3 magnitude hits Japan

The Japan Meteorological Agency has informed that a 7.3-magnitude earthquake on the Richter scale struck eastern Japan on the night of Wednesday, March 16 (Earthquake hits Japan). The strong earthquake caused panic in Japan's capital Tokyo and a tsunami warning has been issued for parts of the northeast coast. According to media reports, after the earthquake, 20 lakh houses have lost their electricity.

The epicenter of the quake was at a depth of 60 km off the coast of the Fukushima region and was felt at 11:36 pm local time. Soon after, an advisory for tsunami waves of one meter was issued for some parts of the northeast coast.

The region is part of northern Japan, which was devastated by a deadly 9.0 magnitude earthquake and tsunami in 2011 and which also led to a nuclear disaster.