Powerful earthquakes leave at least four dead, destroy buildings along Japan's western coast

A series of powerful earthquakes hit western Japan, leaving at least four people dead and damaging buildings, vehicles and boats, with officials warning people in some areas on Tuesday to stay away from their homes because of a continuing risk of major quakes. Aftershocks continued to shake Ishikawa prefecture and nearby areas a day after a magnitude-7.6 temblor slammed the area on Monday afternoon.

Four people were confirmed dead in Ishikawa, according to prefecture officials. Police said they were investigating two other reported deaths. Public broadcaster NHK reported at least eight deaths and 30 injuries, including people who fell while trying to flee. "Saving lives is our priority and we are fighting a battle against time," Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said. "It is critical that people trapped in homes get rescued immediately." Japan's military was dispatched to the disaster zones to join rescue efforts, he said. Firefighters continued to battle a fire in Wajima city which reddened the sky with embers and smoke.

Nuclear regulators said several nuclear plants in the region were operating normally. A major quake and tsunami in March 2011 caused three reactors to melt at a nuclear plant in northeastern Japan. News videos showed rows of collapsed houses. Some wooden structures were flattened and cars were overturned. Half-sunken ships floated in bays where tsunami waves had rolled in, leaving a muddied coastline.

On Monday, the Japan Meteorological Agency issued a major tsunami warning for Ishikawa and lower-level tsunami warnings or advisories for the rest of the western coast of Japan's main island of Honshu, as well as for the northern island of Hokkaido. The warning was downgraded several hours later, and all tsunami warnings were lifted as of early Tuesday. Waves measuring more than one metre (three feet) hit some places. The agency warned that more major quakes could hit the area over the next few days.

People who were evacuated from their houses huddled in auditoriums, schools and community centres. Bullet trains in the region were halted, but service was being restored in some places. Sections of highways were closed, water pipes burst, and cellphone service was out in some areas. US President Joe Biden said in a statement that his administration was "ready to provide any necessary assistance for the Japanese people". Japan is frequently hit by earthquakes because of its location along the "Ring of Fire", an arc of volcanoes and fault lines in the Pacific Basin.