Powerful 7.4-magnitude earthquake strikes off Japan, tsunami alert issued

A powerful earthquake struck off the northern Japanese coast, and the Japan Meteorological Agency issued a tsunami alert in the region. The quake, registering a preliminary magnitude of 7.4, occurred off the coast of Sanriku in northern Japan at around 4:53 pm (0753 GMT), at a depth of about 10 kilometres (6 miles) below the sea surface, the agency said. Japan's NHK public television said a tsunami of up to 3 metres (10 feet) could hit the area shortly.

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