People across much of eastern Japan were woken Wednesday night by a powerful earthquake. Figures gathered by NHK show it left three people dead and more than 200 injured.

The quake registered 6 plus on the Japanese seismic scale of zero to 7. Damage has been reported in a number of places.

Hundreds of people living on the coast in the prefectures of Fukushima and Miyagi evacuated to shelters. One of the evacuees said, "It was a really strong quake, so I thought there might be a tsunami. I suffered in a tsunami once before."

Many buildings are believed to have been damaged in Miyagi and Fukushima prefectures.

The full picture is not clear as local authorities have yet to confirm all reports.

A Tohoku Shinkansen bullet train derailed in Miyagi Prefecture. Services are suspended on part of the line.

The earthquake left millions of households without electricity. The transmission firm Tohoku Electric Power Network says 1,800 households in Fukushima and Miyagi prefectures still had no power on Thursday evening.

The earthquake also disrupted water supplies. People in the city of Minami-Soma in Fukushima Prefecture had to stand in line a water supply station.

The Chief Cabinet Secretary says Self-Defense Force units have been sent to multiple locations in Fukushima Prefecture to supply water.

He also says the government received a request for water from the governor of Miyagi Prefecture and will send Self-Defense Force personnel there.