At least 50 people were injured after a magnitude 7.5 earthquake struck off the coast of Japan's Aomori prefecture late Monday, damaging an airport in Hokkaido and stranding around 200 travelers.
The quake, initially measured at magnitude 7.6 before being revised, hit at 11.15pm local time at a depth of 54 kilometers. Strong shaking was felt in Aomori and Iwate prefectures, with tremors reaching Tokyo. Multiple aftershocks followed, including one measuring magnitude 6.4.
In Aomori's Hachinohe City, parts of a shopping mall ceiling collapsed and the port area showed signs of soil liquefaction, with muddy water emerging from cracks. In Hokkaido, ceiling panels cracked and fell at New Chitose Airport, compounding travel disruptions from a snowstorm that had already canceled 75 flights. The combined disruptions left about 200 passengers stranded overnight at the airport, exceeding its 150-person capacity for such emergencies.
The Japan Meteorological Agency issued tsunami warnings, with waves of 70 centimeters observed at Kuji Port in Iwate. All warnings were lifted by Tuesday morning.
The agency also issued its first-ever "Hokkaido and Sanriku Coast Subsequent Earthquake Advisory" since the system's 2022 launch. It warned the probability of a magnitude 8 or larger quake occurring along the Japan or Kuril trenches within the next week has risen significantly, from 0.1 percent under normal conditions to approximately 1 percent, urging heightened vigilance.
