Late on Monday night, a formidable earthquake with a magnitude of 7.5 rattled northern Japan, causing more than 20 injuries and prompting a tsunami that reached up to 70 centimeters (28 inches) along the Pacific coast, according to officials. The tremor struck at approximately 11:15 p.m. local time (1415 GMT), occurring about 80 kilometers (50 miles) off the coast of Aomori, Japan’s northernmost prefecture on the main Honshu island.

The Japanese government is currently evaluating the extent of the damage caused by both the earthquake and the ensuing tsunami. In the coastal town of Hachinohe, located in Aomori prefecture, convenience store owner Nobuo Yamada shared his experience with the public broadcaster NHK, stating, “I’ve never experienced such a big shaking.” He noted that, fortunately, the power lines in his area remained functional.

Tsunami waves measuring 70 centimeters were recorded at Kuji port in Iwate prefecture, which lies just south of Aomori, while other coastal areas in the region experienced tsunami levels of up to 50 centimeters, as reported by the agency.

The Fire and Disaster Management Agency reported injuries to 23 individuals, with one person sustaining serious injuries. NHK reported that most injuries were due to falling objects, with several people hurt in a hotel in Hachinohe and a man in Tohoku suffering a minor injury after his car fell into a hole.

The Fire and Disaster Management Agency said 23 people were injured, including one seriously. Most of the victims were hit by falling objects, NHK reported, adding that several people were injured in a hotel in Hachinohe and a man in Tohoku was slightly hurt when his car fell into a hole.

The Japan Meteorological Agency reported the quake’s magnitude as 7.5, down from its earlier estimate of 7.6. It issued an advisory for potential tsunami surges of up to 3 meters (10 feet) in some areas.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara urged residents to go to higher ground or seek shelter until advisories were lifted.

Kihara said nuclear power plants in the region were conducting safety checks and that so far no problems were detected. He later told reporters that Shinkansen bullet trains and some local lines were suspended in parts of the region.

About 800 homes were without electricity, he said.

The meteorological agency issued a caution about possible aftershocks in the coming days. It said there is a slight increase in risk of a magnitude 8-level quake and possible tsunami occurring along Japan’s northeastern coast from Chiba, just east of Tokyo, to Hokkaido. The agency urged residents in 182 municipalities in the area to monitor their emergency preparedness in the coming week.

Satoshi Kato, a vice principal of a public high school in Hachinohe, told NHK that he was at home when the quake struck, and that glasses and bowls fell and smashed into shards on the floor.

Kato said he drove to the school because it was designated an evacuation center, and on the way he encountered traffic jams and car accidents as panicked people tried to flee. Nobody had yet come to the school to take shelter, he said.

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, in brief comment to reporters, said the government set up an emergency task force to urgently assess the extent of damage. “We are putting people’s lives first and doing everything we can,” she said.

Later, she urged residents in the region to pay attention to the latest information from local municipalities. “Please be prepared so you can immediately evacuate as soon as you feel a tremor.”

The quake struck about 80 kilometers (50 miles) northeast of Hachinohe, and about 50 kilometers (30 miles) below the sea surface, the meteorological agency said.

It was just north of the Japanese coast that suffered the magnitude 9.0 quake and tsunami in 2011 that killed nearly 20,000 people.