A tsunami alert has been issued off the east coast of Honshu, Japan.
A strong earthquake struck off the coast of Japan late Wednesday night, threatening a tsunami and leaving more than 2 million families without electricity, officials said.
At the initial report, it was 7.3. The quake struck just off the coast from Fukushima.
At least 97 people were injured and four were killed in multiple prefectures in Japan, according to the Associated Press.
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center issued a tsunami alert on the east coast of Honshu, Japan, based on preliminary earthquake parameters. The epicenter was reported below the Pacific Ocean floor, however; no tsunami alert was issued.
According to the US National Tsunami Warning Center, no tsunami alert was issued in California, Oregon, Washington, British Columbia or Alaska.
Japan’s NHK World News Service initially reported that there was a major power outage in the Tokyo area where more than 2 million households are currently without electricity. By 3 a.m. local time, power had been restored in “most” areas of Tokyo, the NHK reported.
According to the Kyodo News Agency, the quake caused one of Japan’s Tohoku Shinkansen high-speed rail-line trains to derail with 100 passengers on board. No injuries were reported, the agency said.
The epicenter was reported at 11:36 a.m. local time, with the epicenter about 20.5 miles below sea level, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency.
In 2011, a strong earthquake and tsunami hit the same general area and caused a nuclear disaster at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.
Japan’s nuclear regulator said on Wednesday that preliminary data did not indicate any abnormalities at the Fukushima nuclear plant.
ABC’s Alex Stone reports.