Earthquake in Japan, tsunami warning posted

[bousozoku]

TOKYO, Japan (AP) -- Japan's Meteorological Agency has issued a tsunami warning after an earthquake with preliminary magnitude 8.1 hit the Kuril islands north of Japan.

The quake struck about 390 kilometers east of the Etorofu islands north of Japan at 1115 GMT Wednesday, according to the agency.

A tsunami of about 2 meters (6.5 feet) or more could hit the Pacific coast of Japan's northernmost island of Hokkaido and main island of Honshu after 1210 GMT, the agency said.

The agency told residents along Japan's Pacific coast to flee to higher ground.

http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/asiapcf/11/15/japan.tsunami.ap/index.html

It's not yet on any of the Japanese newspapers' websites I checked.

[sushi]

I just saw this on TV via US news -- at work right now (about 2100).

Will be heading home soon. I imagine that it will be on TV.

[Chundles]

Just heard it on breaking news here - hopefully it all just peters out but geeze 8.1 is a big muttha of an earthquake.

Fingers crossed everything is alright.

[Killyp]

Yeh, found out a friend of mine was in the boxing day tsunami the other day (as in I found out the other day). He said it was terrible, the loss of life was incredible...

Hope all goes well...

[emw]

Just to update, apparently the warnings have been lifted:

http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/asiapcf/11/15/japan.tsunami/index.html

[xsedrinam]

The USGS (http://earthquake.usgs.gov/eqcenter/recenteqsww/Quakes/usvcam.php) record shows a magnitude 8.3 with about 15 aftershocks, the last just a minute or so ago. 8.1 or 8.3 is still strong. Hope everyone is okay.