Massive earthquake causes damage, disruptions in central Japan's Ishikawa

Latest: Top-intensity quakes might strike central Japan over next week

1.2-meter waves observed after massive quakes hit Japan's western coast

Authorities urged people to flee to high land 

South Korea says sea level off east coast may rise due to quake in Japan

Russia declares tsunami warning in Far Eastern cities 

TOKYO - Multiple roads and houses in Japan's Ishikawa Prefecture were damaged after strong earthquakes struck the country's western coast on Monday, authorities said.

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 (JMA).

Reports from local authorities and firefighting departments said multiple houses collapsed in Noto region and Hakui city in Ishikawa Prefecture.

Approximately 32,500 households experienced power outage across Ishikawa Prefecture, said local authorities.

In Ishikawa's Kanazawa city, video footages taken by passengers showed rocking temblors experienced on a local train platform and train coaches.

Some buildings in the Noto region caught fire, according to latest local media reports.

In Shijika city, Niigata Prefecture, an 80-year-old woman suffered a head injury after falling during the evacuation.

The torii gate of a shrine in Kanazawa collapsed due to the earthquakes, with no injuries reported in the surrounding area, according to the national news agency Kyodo.

East Japan Railway Company suspended all Shinkansen services on the Joetsu and Hokuriku lines throughout Ishikawa Prefecture. There is currently no prospect for resumption of operations, according to sources.

Earlier in the day, the JMA issued tsunami warnings for a broad swath of the western coast, including Ishikawa, Fukui, Niigata, Toyama, Yamagata and other prefectures, following the strong earthquakes.

Ishikawa, where the epicenter of the major quake was located, observed tsunami waves of more than 1.2 meters at 4:21 pm local time, and Toyama prefecture reported tsunami waves of 50 centimeters at 4:23 pm local time, local media reports said.

Torrents of water could reach as high as 5 meters and authorities had urged people to flee to high land or a top of a nearby building as quickly as possible, according to the public broadcaster NHK.

According to the JMA, among the quakes, the major temblor occurred at 4:10 pm local time (0710 GMT) at a shallow depth, registering a maximum 7 on the Japanese seismic intensity scale on the Noto Peninsula in Ishikawa Prefecture. It also shook buildings in central Tokyo.