The Philippines, Indonesia and Papua New Guinea were bracing for a possible tsunami after an 8.9 magnitude earthquake struck off the northeast of Japan, sending waves crashing through coastal towns.
The temblor hit at 2:46 p.m. local time 130 kilometers (81 miles) off the coast of Sendai, north of Tokyo. Buildings shook in the capital, and television footage showed a wave of water engulfing farmhouses and roads along the coast and fires breaking out in an oil refinery and buildings in Tokyo.
Waves traveling as fast as 800 kilometers an hour may be radiating from the epicenter, sparking warnings in countries that lie in their path. The quake is the strongest since a 9.1 magnitude temblor off North Sumatra in Indonesia in December 2004 left about 220,000 people dead or missing in 12 countries around the Indian Ocean.
Waves may reach the Philippines at 9:55 a.m. Greenwich Meantime, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said in a bulletin, advising authorities to “take appropriate action.”
The center issued warnings for Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, New Zealand and Australia, among other countries.
A tsunami warning is in effect in Indonesia for the provinces of Papua, northern Sulawesi and Maluku, the country’s Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency said in an e- mailed statement. Affected areas are “expected to pay attention to this warning and immediately guide their communities for evacuation,” the statement said.
The waves may reach parts of eastern Indonesia about 6 p.m. Jakarta time today, the agency said in a mobile-phone text message. The tsunami may reach different areas at different times, and the first wave may not be the strongest.
The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology raised its tsunami alert level, according to a report on ABS- CBN’s website. Officials from the agency weren’t immediately available to confirm the report.
No evacuation order was in place, although communities along the east coast of the country were advised to prepare to leave their homes.
Taiwan’s Central Weather Bureau said it won’t issue its own tsunami warning, taking its cue from the USGS Pacific Tsunami Warning Center.
Waves may reach Hawaii by 12:59 p.m. GMT, the center said.
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