Man Sits In Bath As Huge Earthquake Hits Japan

A man caught the moment a huge earthquake hit Japan while he was sat in his bath - watch it below:

Footage has been shared online showing the man enjoying a soak as the 7.1 magnitude quake struck the country's east coast just after 11pm on Saturday (13 February).

In the brief video, the water in the tub starts to rise and fall sharply as the shockwaves from the quake ripple through the Miyagi prefecture.

"This is insane! An earthquake in the bath is insane!" he shouts.

"It's really shaking! This is insane!"

Newsflare

According to the United States Geological Survey, the epicentre of the earthquake was around 46 miles (74 kilometers) northeast of Namie, a coastal town just 60 miles from Fukushima.

It also measured a depth of around 36 miles and was felt strongly in Tokyo, and while no tsunami warning was issued, those living in the area were told to seek higher ground.

Prime Minister Suga Yoshihide also confirmed no deaths had so far been reported.

However, the shock did cause almost one million homes to lose power, with a smaller number reporting a loss of water.

Train services were also halted and a number of landslides were reported as a result, with one completely covering a sports facility.

PA

The national Meteorological Agency confirmed that the quake that hit over the weekend was, in fact, an aftershock of the devastating 9.0 magnitude tremor that struck back in 2011.

In this instance, though, authorities have not received reports of problems from any nuclear plants.

Speaking about the event, Chief Cabinet Secretary Katsunobu Kato said: "Surveys are being done at Fukushima Daiichi nuclear pant... We have received reports that Onagawa nuclear plant and Fukushima Daichi nuclear plant are not showing any abnormality."

But despite the reassurances from authorities, some people have claimed that they are not taking any chances.

Speaking to Japanese news agency Kyodo, one man said: "Even if people say we don't need to worry about a tsunami, I won't buy it.

PA

"I learned from my bitter experience 10 years ago, and that's why I evacuated."

Saturday's earthquake marked almost 10 years to the day since the shock that caused the worst nuclear disaster in the country's history, when three reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant went into meltdown.

The malfunction caused radioactive materials to be released into the air, with more than 20,000 people having either died or gone missing in the aftermath, while hundreds of thousands were made homeless.

Topics: nuclear, World News, Earthquake, Japan

Dominic Smithers

Dominic graduated from the University of Leeds with a degree in French and History. Like you, Dom has often questioned how much use a second language has been. Well, after stints working at the Manchester Evening News, the Accrington Observer and the Macclesfield Express, along with never setting foot in France, he realised the answer is surprisingly little. But I guess, c'est la vie. Contact us at [email protected]

@SmithersDom