Tsunami alert issued for several regions in Russia's Far East

Vladivostok, Jan 2: Several regions in Russia's Far East were on tsunami alert after a series of powerful earthquakes rocked central Japan, generating waves as high as five metre in some areas.

The Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations (EMERCOM) said on Monday that a tsunami alert was issued for the Sakhalin region, but no evacuation was necessary, Xinhua news agency reported.

In Vladivostok and Nakhodka, two cities in the Russian Far East, authorities also issued a tsunami alert and asked fishermen and others who planned to go to sea to return to shore immediately.

The EMERCOM added that a tsunami alert was also announced for the Khabarovsk Territory.

Later on Monday evening, the city administration of Vladivostok said no dangerous waves were detected in the region.

"The Tsunami Centre reports that at 19:55 local time no tsunami was registered in Vladivostok," the message said.

As to the city of Nakhodka and the districts of Wrangel and Livadia threatened by the wave, the tsunami passed almost unnoticed.

A series of strong earthquakes, with major ones of up to a preliminary 7.6 magnitude, have been hitting a wide area on the Sea of Japan coast in central Japan since Monday afternoon, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency.

Local authorities and firefighting departments reported that multiple houses collapsed in Noto region and Hakui city in Ishikawa Prefecture.

Nearly 32,500 households experienced power outages across Ishikawa Prefecture, said local authorities.