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8 Dead, Thousands Evacuated After Major Earthquake Strikes Japan

A 7.5-magnitude earthquake shook Japan's western coast on Monday, leaving over 32,000 residents without power and causing local officials to issue major tsunami warnings.

A 7.5-magnitude earthquake struck central Japan on January 1, killing eight and triggering evacuation warnings for residents along the country’s western coast.

According to the United States Geological Survey, the quake had a depth of 10 kilometers (or six miles), striking at 4:10 p.m. local time northeast of Anamizu in Ishikawa prefecture. The quake shook and destroyed buildings, damaged local roads, and left more than 32,500 homes without power. Photos of cracked roads and toppled buildings are already giving the rest of the world an idea of the intensity of the quakes, while footage of the earthquake and its ensuing damage has made for a disturbing watch to ring in the new year.

Just minutes after the initial 7.5-magnitude quake, an aftershock measured at 6.2-magnitude followed in the same area. Officials warn that aftershocks are to be expected for the next three to seven days, with 5.2 and 5.6-magnitude aftershocks already occurring.

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The severity of the earthquake has led Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi to advise that residents evacuate to higher ground, after the country issued major tsunami warnings following the quake. Tsunami waves were already reported off the coast of western Japan. Though the waves caused no immediate damage, Japan’s Meteorological Society says that more waves are expected to follow, though the initial warnings have since been downgraded. Meanwhile, no irregularities have been reported at Japanese nuclear power plants closest to the site of the earthquakes.

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