Tsunami alert issued for several regions in Russia

Several regions in Russia's Far East were on tsunami alert on Monday after a series of powerful earthquakes rocked central Japan, generating waves as high as five meters in some areas, reported Xinhua.

The Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations (EMERCOM) said a tsunami alert was issued for the Sakhalin region, but no evacuation was necessary.

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 said 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 Center reports that at 19:55 local time (0955 GMT) 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.

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