By Deutsche Welle
Sep 24, 2024, 10:55 AM EDT
A tsunami half a meter high reached the Izu Islands, located south of Tokyo, on Tuesday (24.09.2024), after a tsunami occurred An earthquake of magnitude 5.9 occurred in the area, with no known damage or casualties.according to the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA).
The JMA reported that a half-meter tsunami hit Yaene on Hachijo Island at 8:58 a.m. local time on Tuesday (01:58 CET).
On Miyake Island, a 10-centimeter tsunami hit the Tsubota and Ako regions at 9:11 a.m. local time (02:11 CET), and a 20-centimeter tsunami hit Kozu at 9:37 a.m. local time (02:37 CET).
At 11:00 local time (02:00 CET), the JMA lifted the tsunami warnings it had issued in the area.
“We are not aware of any reports of damage”said Japanese government spokesman Yoshimasa Hayashi at a press conference on Tuesday.
“People are still advised not to go near the sea and to be alert to information and to act calmly,” added Hayashi, who explained that the Japanese government had formed “a group to gather information” about the earthquake and subsequent tsunami.
Ferries cancelled
Ferries connecting Tokyo and Atami (in Shizuoka prefecture, southwest of the capital) to Oshima Island have been cancelled as a result of the tsunami, but services could be re-established this afternoon if conditions in the region allow.
The islands hit by the tsunami, Hachijo and Miyakepart of the Izu group of islands, located more than 100 kilometres south of Tokyo. Images captured by cameras installed in their ports showed the rising sea level and how some of the port facilities were covered by water.
The 5.9-magnitude quake that triggered the tsunami struck at 8:14 a.m. local time on Tuesday (01:14 CET) at a depth of 10 km below the seabed in waters off the coast of Torishima Island, south of the Izu archipelago, according to the JMA.
Following the quake, the Japanese meteorological agency issued a tsunami warning of up to one metre in the Izu Islands and the Ogasawara Islands (at a more remote distance of approximately 1,000 km from the capital region) and warned the population to stay away from areas near the sea and rivers.
Before withdrawing the alerts, the JMA warned of the possibility of the tsunami reaching the maximum height predicted (one metre) in the coming hours, both in the Izu Islands and in the Ogasawara Islands, although it finally reached only half a metre on the island of Hachijo.
The JMA also warned of possible sea level rises from Chiba (southeast of Tokyo) to Okinawa (southwest of the country).
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