Strong earthquake shakes northeastern Japan

WKYT FirstAlert Weather

Strong earthquake shakes northeastern Japan

TOKYO (AP) - Japan's Meteorological Agency has lifted a tsunami warning for the country's northeastern coast.

The warning was issued after a magnitude 7.3 quake struck offshore Friday, swaying buildings across much of Japan. There were no immediate reports of serious damage but several people were reportedly hurt.

After the quake, authorities issued a warning that a tsunami could hit. Ishinomaki, a city in Miyagi, reported that a tsunami of three feet hit about 45 minutes after the quake.

About two hours after the quake struck, the tsunami warning was cancelled.

Shortly before the earthquake struck, NHK television broke off regular programming to warn that a strong quake was due to hit. Afterward, the announcer repeatedly urged all near the coast to flee to higher ground.

Tokyo Electric Power says there have been no problems at any of its nuclear plants.

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