Japan hit with 7.3 earthquake two weeks before the Dooms day

Earthquake hits east coast of Japan

Metre-high tsunami reported along northeast coast after earthquake with magnitude of 7.3 rocks Miyagi prefecture. Last Modified: 07 Dec 2012 09:29 inShare1 Email Print Share Feedback

A one-metre-high tsunami has hit Japan's northeast coast  following a strong earthquake, according to the country's meteorological agency. The wave was recorded on Friday in Ishinomaki, a city in Miyagi prefecture that was badly hit by the tsunami of March 2011, which killed thousands The Japan Meteorological Agency said the earthquake, with a preliminary magnitude of 7.3, struck in the Pacific Ocean off the Miyagi coast at 08:18GMT. The epicentre was 10km beneath the seabed. Buildings as far as in the capital Tokyo swayed for at least several minutes. A presenter on state broadcaster NHK repeatedly told viewers to get to safety. "Remember last year's quake and tsunami," he said. "Call on your neighbours and flee to higher ground now!" Sayaka Matsumoto, communications officer at the Japan Red Cross, told Al Jazeera that she felt "quite [a] large shake” at her organisation’s headquarters in Tokyo. Matsumoto said the quake felt about "half the size" of the 9.0 magnitude earthquake and subsequent tsunami in March 2011 that killed or left missing around 19,000 people.