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Fukushima earthquake: Viral videos show buildings rocked by 7.3 temblor, 11 years after nuclear horror

Several videos surfaced on social media after a 7.3 magnitude earthquake shook the coast of Fukushima in northern Japan

Several videos surfaced on social media after a powerful 7.3 magnitude earthquake shook the coast of Fukushima in northern Japan on Wednesday, March 16, triggering a tsunami advisory. Japan Meteorological Agency said the earthquake struck 60 km below the sea and has issued a tsunami advisory for up to a meter (3-foot) of sea surge in parts of Miyagi and Fukushima prefectures. 

The earthquake comes only days after the northern Japan region marked the 11th anniversary of the deadly 9.0 quake and tsunami disaster of March 2011. The 2011 earthquake triggered a tsunami and destroyed a nuclear plant, sparking a major disaster after radiation leaked from the plant. The Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings, which operates the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant that suffered multiple meltdowns following the 2011 disaster, said that workers are checking for any possible damage.

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Netizens took to social media to share video recordings of the earthquake that shook large parts of northern and eastern Japan including Tokyo, where buildings shook violently. In the videos, furniture and other things inside the homes could be seen shaking during the quake.

One user tweeted: "Strong M7.3 earthquake rocking Fukushima, this is my desk in Tokyo now - you can hear the whole apartment building shaking. Scary."

A second user wrote: "7.3 magnitude earthquake in Fukushima, here’s a video from under my table in Tokyo." 

Another user shared: "A tsunami warning has been issued. Two powerful earthquakes of magnitude 7.3 and 6.4 off the coast of Fukushima in northern Japan."

One video was captioned: "Footage from #Japan after the magnitude 7.3 #earthquake."

A user shared the footage from Tokyo inside the Yurikamome, a fully automated train.

Meanwhile, a social media user shared how earthquakes are very common in Japan. The user tweeted: "Small earthquakes happen from time to time, but I don't think we've had an earthquake as big as this one since the Great East Japan Earthquake in 2011, 3.11. Mt.Fuji erupts in the near future, or that there's going to be a big earthquake in Tokyo, so I'm worried about that too!". 

The earthquake killed at least four people and injured over 100 others while cutting off power to millions of homes. The local disaster prevention office said that one of the persons who died was a man in his 60s who lived in the city of Soma, Fukushima.