Two people have died after Japan’s north-east was rocked by a strong 7.3 magnitude earthquake last night.
The quake lasted for more than two minutes, sparked a tsunami warning and plunged millions into darkness.
The Fire and Disaster Managment Agency confirmed two people had died and 94 were injured, four seriously.
A man in his 60s died after falling from the second floor of a building in the city of Soma in Fukushima, the Fuji News Network said.
A panicked man in his 70s also suffered a fatal heart attack, Kyodo News reported.
The quake struck around 11:30pm local time last night off the coast of Japan — around 89 kilometres from the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant, which is in the process of being decommissioned after a magnitude nine earthquake and tsunami lead to the plant’s catastrophic meltdown in 2011.
Plant operator Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings said no abnormalities have been found at the site.
A fire alarm had gone off at turbine building of No. 5 despite there being no actual fire, Japan’s Nuclear Regulation Authority said.
The Japan Meteorological Agency has since lifted a tsunami warning issued for the coasts of Fukushima and Miyagi.
Small waves of 30 centimetres have been recorded in Ishinomaki in Miyagi Prefectaure.
Quake ‘lasted for what felt like an eternity’
Speaking to Today, CNN correspondent Blake Essig said the quake was felt in Tokyo — around 250 kilometres away from the north-east.
“It lasted for what felt like an eternity,” he said.
“I was lying in bed with my two kids when the shaking actually started. I immediately grabbed a pillow, covered their heads while my wife was in our living room.
“She crouched immediately under a table. She was able to record video on her cell of our TV, plants, furniture banging against the walls, everything just rocking back and forth.
“This was 250 kilometres away from where the really violent shaking took place.”
About two million homes were left without power across the north-east and Tokyo after the quake hit off the coast of Japan. Power has since been restored to many households.
Residents in both Miyagi and Fukushima were put on high alert after a tsunami watch was issued by The Japan Meteorological Agency.
Residents were told to avoid coastal areas.
