(BBC) – A strong earthquake has been reported in north-east Japan, shaking buildings and triggering a tsunami alert.

The tremor was recorded at magnitude 7.3 and in some areas was said to have reached 6-plus on Japan’s shaking intensity scale, making it too forceful for people to stand.

The quake could be felt in the Miyagi and Fukushima prefectures, and power outages have been reported in Tokyo.

According to USGS, the seismic event took place at 23:35 local (14:36 GMT