TOKYO —

       A powerful magnitude 7.4 earthquake struck off the coast of Fukushima in northern Japan on Wednesday evening, leaving two dead, and triggering a tsunami advisory and plunging more than 2 million homes in the Tokyo area into darkness.

       The region is part of northern Japan that was devastated by a deadly 9.0 quake and tsunami 11 years ago that also caused nuclear plant meltdowns, spewing massive radiation that still makes some parts uninhabitable.

       The Japan Meteorological Agency later lifted its low-risk advisory issued along the coasts of Fukushima and Miyagi prefectures early Thursday. Tsunami waves of 11 inches reached shore in Ishinomaki, about 242 miles northeast of Tokyo.

       The agency upgraded the magnitude of the quake to 7.4 from the initial 7.3.

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       The Fire and Disaster Management Agency said two people were killed and 94 others were injured, including four seriously.

       NHK video showed broken walls of a department store building that had fallen to the ground and shards of windows scattered on the street near the main train station in Fukushima, about 36 miles west from the coastline. Roads were cracked and water poured from pipes underground.

       The quake struck 21 miles from Ishinomaki, Japan, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Tsunami Warning System.

       Footage also showed furniture and appliances smashed to the floor at apartments in Fukushima. Cosmetics and other merchandise at convenience stores fell from shelves and scattered on the floor. In Yokohama, near Tokyo, an electric pole nearly fell.

       Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings, which operates the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant where the cooling systems failed after the 2011 disaster, said workers found no abnormalities at the site, which was in the process of being decommissioned.

       Japan’s Nuclear Regulation Authority said that a fire alarm went off at the turbine building of No. 5 reactor at Fukushima Daiichi but that there was no actual fire. Water pumps for the spent-fuel cooling pool at two of the four reactors at Fukushima Daini briefly stopped but later resumed operation. Fukushima Daini is also set for decommissioning.

       The Japan Meteorological Agency said the quake hit at 11:36 p.m. at a depth of 36 miles below the sea.

       Japan’s Air Self-Defense Force said it dispatched fighter jets from the Hyakuri base in Ibaraki prefecture, just south of Fukushima, for information gathering and damage assessment.

       More than 2.2 million homes were temporarily without electricity in 14 prefectures including the Tokyo region, but power was restored at most places by the morning, except for about 37,000 homes in the hardest-hit Fukushima and Miyagi prefectures, according to Tohoku Electric Power Co., which services the region.

       Walls are damaged at an apartment in Fukushima, Japan, following an earthquake.

       (Associated Press)

       The quake shook large parts of eastern Japan, including Tokyo, where buildings swayed violently.

       East Japan Railway Co. said most of its train services were suspended for safety checks. Some local trains later resumed service.

       Many people formed long lines outside major stations while waiting for trains to resume operation late Wednesday, but trains in Tokyo operated normally Thursday morning.

       A Tohoku Shinkansen express train partially derailed between Fukushima and Miyagi because of the quake, but nobody was injured, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said.

       He told reporters that the government was assessing the extent of damage and promised to do its utmost for rescue and relief operations.

       “Please first take action to save your life,” Kishida tweeted.

       California

       Can a tsunami happen in Southern California? What should you do about it?

       California is hit by about one tsunami a year, but most are barely noticeable. That said, if you live or work near the water or ever visit the coast, you should know what to do if there’s a big earthquake or a tsunami warning.

       Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno said authorities were scrambling to assess damage.

       “We are doing our utmost in rescue operations and putting people’s lives first,” he said.

       He urged residents in the affected areas to use extra caution for possible major aftershocks for about a week.