JAPAN issued tsunami alerts and ordered evacuations following a series of earthquakes on Monday that started a fire and trapped people under rubble on the west coast of its main island.The Japan Meterological Agency reported more than a dozen quakes off the coast of Ishikawa and nearby prefectures shortly after 4 p.m.,oneofthemwitha preliminary magnitude of 7.6. Later, Japan dropped its highest-level tsunami alert, but told residents of coastal areas not to return to their homes as deadly waves could still come.

 

The agency had issued a major tsunami warning for Ishikawa and lower-level tsunami warnings or advisoriesfortherestofthewestern coast of the island of Honshu,aswellasthenorthernmost of its main islands, Hokkaido. Japanese public broadcaster NHK TV warned torrents ofwater couldreachas high as 5 meters (16.5 feet) and urged people to flee to highlandorthetopofanearbybuildingasquicklyaspossible.

 

NHK said the tsunami waves could keep returning, andwarningswere continuingtobeairedhoursafterthe initial alert. Several aftershocks also rocked the region. Government spokesman Yoshimasa Hayashi said it was critical for people in coastalareastogetawayfrom the oncoming tsunami. INDIAN EMBASSY IN JAPAN SETS UP EMERGENCY CONTROL ROOM FOLLOWING TSUNAMI ALERTS: THE Indian EmbassyinJapanonMonday setupanemergency control room for Indians wanting anyassistanceinthewakeof the tsunami alerts issued by the authorities after a series of strong earthquakes jolted the country’s western coastline. Japan issued tsunami alerts and told people to evacuate seaside areas after a series of strong quakes on its western coastline on