A series of earthquakes off the western coast Japan did not pose a tsunami threat to Hawaii however they sent seismic waves to areas closer to the epicenter.

The Japan Meterological Agency reported multiple quakes off the coast of Ishikawa and nearby prefectures shortly after 4 p.m. Monday (9 p.m. Sunday in Hawaii), one of them with a magnitude of 7.5. It issued a major tsunami warning for Ishikawa and lower-level tsunami warnings or advisories for the rest of the western coast of Japan’s main island of Honshu.

“A tsunami threat exists for parts of the Pacific located closer to the earthquake. However, based on all available data, there is no tsunami threat to Hawaii,” the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center on Oahu said.

A tsunami of at least 4 feet hit the town of Wajima, about 190 miles from Tokyo on Monday in Japan, public broadcaster NHK said. Announcers urged people in the areas to flee to higher ground and away from the coast.

A further tsunami as large as 16.5 feet could hit other areas of Ishikawa prefecture, NHK said, while neighboring Niigata prefecture could also be hit by tsunami waves. Several aftershocks rattled the area following the major quake.

NHK said the tsunami waves could keep returning, and warnings were continuing to be aired more than two hours after the initial alert. Several aftershocks also rocked the region.

Government spokesman Yoshimasa Hayashi told reporters that nuclear plants in the area had not reported any irregularities. But he said it was critical for people in coastal areas to get away from the oncoming tsunami.

“Every minute counts. Please evacuate to a safe area immediately,” he said.

The earthquakes themselves also caused damage. Japanese news footage showed reddish smoke spewing from an area in Wajima city, Ishikawa Prefecture, noting there could be a fire there. Details were not immediately available.

A house had crumbled in another area, and a search was underway to see if people were trapped in the rubble.

Bullet trains in the area were halted. Parts of the highway were also closed, and water pipes had burst, according to NHK.

Japanese media reports showed a crowd of people, including a woman with a baby on her back, standing by huge cracks that had ripped through the pavement.

The Meteorological Agency said in a nationally broadcast news conference that more major quakes could hit the area over the next week, especially in the next two or three days.

A power outage hit about 36,920 households in the area, according to Hokuriku Electric Power Co.

The initial earthquake was large enough to be felt in Tokyo.

Japan’s Nuclear Regulation Authority said it was checking on operations at Tokyo Electric Power Co.’s Kashiwazaki Kariwa nuclear power plant.

The Japan Meterological Agency issued a major tsunami warning for Ishikawa and lower-level tsunami warnings or advisories for the rest of the western coast of Japan’s main island of Honshu.

Japanese public broadcaster NHK TV warned torrents of water could reach as high as 16.5 feet and urged people to flee to higher ground or the top of a nearby building as quickly as possible.

NHK said the tsunami waves could keep returning, and warnings were continuing to be aired more than an hour after the initial alert. Several aftershocks also rocked the region.

Government spokesman Yoshimasa Hayashi told reporters that nuclear plants in the area had not reported any irregularities. But he said it was critical for people in coastal areas to get away from the oncoming tsunami.

“Every minute counts. Please evacuate to a safe area immediately,” he said.