Powerful 7.4-magnitude earthquake shakes Japan, killing 2

Two people are killed and dozens injured in a powerful earthquake that rattles large parts of east Japan and prompts a tsunami warning.

Residents and officials in the country’s northeast are still trying to assess the damage early, after the 7.4-magnitude quake.

A tsunami warning for waves of up to a meter in parts of northeast Japan is lifted, after authorities recorded water levels up to 30 centimeters higher than usual in some areas.

Multiple smaller jolts continue to hit the region throughout the night and morning.

Initial reports of damage appear relatively minor, in a country with tough building codes intended to protect against devastation from frequent earthquakes, and officials say there were no abnormalities at nuclear plants.

Two people are killed in the quake, one in the Fukushima region and a second in neighboring Miyagi, according to the Fire and Disaster Management Agency, with over 90 people injured across several regions.

The quake struck at a depth of 60 kilometers (37 miles) off the Fukushima coast and was preceded minutes earlier by another strong 6.1-magnitude shake in the same area, Japan’s Meteorological Agency says.

The night-time shaking comes just days after Japan marked the 11th anniversary of a massive quake that triggered a deadly tsunami and the Fukushima nuclear catastrophe.