Japan earthquake death toll reaches at least 73

The death toll from the intense 7.5 magnitude earthquake that shook central Japan on New Year's Day has risen to at least 73, with at least a dozen people being seriously injured, according to authorities in the Ishikawa region, the epicenter of the earthquake.

Half of the deaths occurred in the city of Wajima, where a fire broke out, destroying several homes. The 7.5 magnitude earthquake struck Ishikawa on the Sea of Japan side of the main island of Honshu on Monday. According to Japanese authorities, the magnitude of the tremor was 7.6.

The Japan Meteorological Agency issued, on its official website, a tsunami warning in the coastal regions of western Japan. Following this, waves of 1.2 meters high hit Wajima and smaller ones were recorded in other regions, including the island of Hokkaido, in the north.

However, the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) announced on Tuesday morning the lifting of all tsunami warnings.

Japan is one of the countries most prone to earthquakes. The Asian country is located in an area known as the Ring of Fire, located on the coasts of the Pacific Ocean and characterized by concentrating some of the most important subduction zones in the world. It is a place where two tectonic plates collide by moving in opposite directions, a movement that produces collisions between both plates and releases energy that translates, among other things, into earthquakes like the one that the Japanese country has suffered.