Tsunami!

[Ibby]

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15726732/

TOKYO - A small tsunami estimated at 16 inches tall struck northern Japan on Thursday, Japan's Meteorological Agency said.

The wave hit Nemuro port in Japan's northernmost island of Hokkaido at 9:29 p.m. (1229 GMT) and was smaller than the 6½ feet tall or higher initially expected by the agency. The tsunami came after a powerful earthquake hit off sparsely populated islands to the north of Japan.

Live water footage from northern Japan showed calm seas and lighted windows. Residents said they barely felt the quake. The agency, however, warned larger waves could follow.

Before the tsunami struck, an official from the town of Shibetsu on Hokkaido, Kiyoshi Takimoto, told public broadcaster NHK that about 4,000 of the town’s 6,100 residents lived along the coast and had been told to flee to higher ground.

Takimoto said he didn’t notice the quake. There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries, according to NHK.

In the city of Kushiro, fire department and city officials were urging residents to move to safety, city official Masatoshi Sato said.

Keiichi Kimura, a Hokkaido Prefectural police officer, said there were no immediate reports of injuries or damage from the quake. Railway officials ordered local trains on Hokkaido to stop at nearby stations as a precautionary step, NHK said.

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A small tsunami estimated at 16 inches tall struck northern Japan on Thursday

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