Japan on high alert for 'huge' second quake after issuing tsunami warning

Japan on high alert for 'huge' second quake after issuing tsunami warning57 minutes agoShareSaveAdd as preferred on GoogleChika Nakayama,Kurumi Mori,Tokyo correspondentandFlora DruryReutersThe earthquake was recorded at a depth of 10km (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.Thousands of people were told to leave coastal areas for higher ground after the quake in waters off Iwate prefecture, 530km (330 miles) north of the capital Tokyo.The biggest waves measured 80cm but the meteorological agency in earthquake-prone Japan warned that quakes "causing even stronger shaking" could occur in the next week, producing bigger waves.Later, the agency warned the risk of a quake measuring 8.0 or higher was now "relatively higher than during normal times". People in Japan are still scarred by memories of a huge quake in 2011 that triggered a tsunami which killed more than 18,000 people and caused a meltdown at the Fukushima nuclear plant.After Monday's undersea quake, recorded at a depth of 10km, warnings of possible bigger waves were issued to residents in areas nearest the epicentre - in Japan's main island, Honshu, and the northern region of Hokkaido. Tremors were felt as far away as Tokyo.In Hokkaido tsunami alerts remained in place two hours after the quake struck at 16:52 local time (08:52 BST)."As soon as we heard the earthquake alert, everyone ran downstairs," Chaw Su Thwe, a Myanmar national living in Hokkaido, told the BBC. "However, this time the shaking was relatively mild."Right now, local authorities are using loudspeakers in the neighbourhood to warn people about a possible tsunami and to stay alert," she added. "Office workers have been allowed to leave work early."A number of bullet trains were affected...