NTT East’s Steel Tower Damaged in Aomori Earthquake

Hachinohe, Aomori Pref., Dec. 11 (Jiji Press)--A 70-meter-high steel tower of NTT East Inc. in Hachinohe, Aomori Prefecture, has been found damaged after a powerful earthquake that struck Monday night, prompting the government of the city to order 48 nearby households to evacuate Thursday.

According to NTT East, there are also damage to walls of and water leakage at the telecommunications carrier’s building that hosts the tower. “We are currently investigating the damage situation,” the company said. “We deeply apologize for the great inconvenience.”

The earthquake occurred off the east coast of the northeastern Japan prefecture, registering upper 6, the second-highest level on the country’s seismic intensity scale, in Hachinohe.

The Hachinohe city government issued the evacuation order at midnight after it was informed by NTT East that there is a possibility of the tower collapsing in the event of another strong earthquake. City government officials and NTT East employees visited the houses subject to the order, urging residents to evacuate to facilities such as a local community center.

Also, local authorities closed a section of about 1 kilometer of National Route 45, which runs in front of the building, at 12:30 a.m. Thursday. When the section will be reopened has not been decided.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]