Amidst a terrifying atmosphere that has spread across Japan in the past few hours due to a strong earthquake and fierce tsunami waves that struck the center and the western coast of the country, old terrifying scenes have resurfaced. Many Japanese on social media have been sharing a video of the tsunami caused by the 2011 Tohoku earthquake, expressing fears of a similar terrifying scenario repeating itself, where waves had then swept boats and ships into the streets, engulfing cars with them.
This comes particularly as the Japan Meteorological Agency warned on Monday that the Ishikawa earthquake is the strongest recorded in the Noto Peninsula since 1885. The Japanese authorities issued evacuation warnings amidst power outages affecting thousands of homes and disruptions to flights and railway services in the affected areas. The earthquake, initially measuring 7.6, caused a tsunami wave of approximately one meter in height along the coast of the Sea of Japan, with a larger wave expected later. Warnings were issued for the coastal prefectures of Ishikawa, Niigata, and Toyama for possible tsunami waves.
Footage broadcast by NHK showed a building collapsing in a cloud of dust in the coastal city of Suzu, and residents in Kanazawa were seen trembling under tables as their homes were shaken by the earthquake. The quake caused buildings in the capital Tokyo, on the opposite coast, to shake. It is noteworthy that a strong earthquake struck northeastern Japan on March 11, 2011, leading to the destruction of towns and meltdowns in nuclear reactors in Fukushima.
