Japan issued tsunami alerts today after a series of strong earthquakes shook western areas of the country.

The Japan Meteorological Agency reported a quake hitting Ishikawa and nearby prefectures, one of them with a preliminary magnitude of 7.6.

It issued a major tsunami warning for Ishikawa and lower-level tsunami warnings or advisories for the rest of the north-western coast of the island of Honshu.

Japanese public broadcaster NHK TV warned torrents of water could reach as high as 16.5ft (5m) and urged people to flee to high land or to the top of a nearby building as quickly as possible. Reports of damage were not immediately available.

Strong waves hit the coast of Wajima City in Ishikawa, NHK reported. Hokuriku Electric Power was checking for any irregularities at its nuclear power plants.

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In Seoul, South Korea’s meteorological agency said the sea level in some parts of the Gangwon province on the east coast may rise after the earthquake. 

More to follow

An online video purportedly shows a house collapsing in Ishikawa during today’s earthquake