Officials in Japan have warned of an increased risk of a “huge” earthquake in the next week after a 7.7 magnitude quake struck off the north-east coast, triggering an evacuation order and warnings of 3m tsunami waves, the BBC reports.
Thousands of people were told to leave coastal areas for higher ground after the quake in waters off Iwate prefecture, 530km north of the capital Tokyo.
The biggest tsunami waves measured 80cm. Tsunami warnings and advisories were lifted hours after the quake on Monday.
But Japan’s meteorological agency has warned that quakes “causing even stronger shaking” could occur in the next week, producing bigger waves.
Authoritiessaid the risk of a quake measuring 8.0 magnitude or higher was “relatively higher than during normal times.”
