Small tsunamis hit S. Korea after earthquake in Japan

SEOUL: South Korea reported small tsunamis in parts of the East Sea on Monday, following a major earthquake off Japan's west coast.

The Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA) said a 7.6 magnitude quake that struck Ishikawa and nearby prefectures around 4 pm caused minor tsunamis in waters off South Korea's east coast province of Gangwon on Monday evening, Yonhap news agency reported.

According to the KMA, a wave off the east coast city of Gangneung reached 20 centimetres at 6:01 pm, while a wave seen off another coastal town of Donghae was measured at 45 centimetres at 6:05 p.m.

The KMA issues a tsunami warning when the maximum vertical height of a wave reaches 50 centimetres, although waves at 20 to 30 centimetres can still cause damage.

The KMA noted that the height of a tsunami could increase to a more dangerous level depending on the ebb and flow of the tide, and warned that tsunamis might affect Gangwon for over 24 hours.

Earlier in the day, Gangwon sent tsunami warnings via text messages to residents in six cities and counties by the ocean, urging people near coastal areas to evacuate to higher ground.

Following the quake, the Japan Meteorological Agency issued a major tsunami warning for Ishikawa and lower-level tsunami warnings or advisories for the rest of the northwestern coast of the island of Honshu.

Japanese media said torrents of water could reach 5 metres in height, though there were no immediate reports of damage.

South Korea's foreign ministry said it had not yet received any report of injury or damage for South Korean nationals in Japan as of Monday evening.

The foreign ministry said an estimated 1,200 South Koreans reside in Ishikawa Prefecture and another 800 in the adjacent Toyama Prefecture.

-- BERNAMA