30 Hong Kong tourists feel minor tremors in Japan’s Toyama as 7.6-scale quake strikes neighbouring Ishikawa
- Travel agency EGL Tours says customers on its trip to Japan are all safe in Toyama prefecture, about 54km from the epicentre of the 7.6-preliminary magnitude quake
- Post reporter in Japan receives pre-quake warning on phone moments before hotel starts shaking
Thirty members of a Hong Kong tour group in Japan have experienced minor tremors caused by a powerful earthquake that has struck the country’s central regions, according to trip organisers.
Travel agency EGL Tours on Monday said the group were all safe in Toyama prefecture, which is about 54km (33.6 miles) from Ishikawa, the epicentre of the 7.6-preliminary magnitude quake.
The Japan Meteorological Agency has issued tsunami warnings to Niigata, Toyama and Ishikawa prefectures, anticipating the possibility of waves up to five metres (16.4 feet) in height, and is urging residents to evacuate.
“The tour guide reported that all guests are safe and the tremors from the earthquake were mild,” EGL Tours executive director Steve Huen Kwok-chuen said.
“The group is heading towards a hotel in the inland, which is far away from the coast, they are not expected to be affected by any potential tsunami.”
The company’s six-day tour had kicked off on Saturday, with Huen saying he believed the group’s itinerary would be unaffected by the quake.