Strong M7.2 earthquake hits Japan’s northeast; 4 hurt, no tsunami warning issued
Four people were injured Thursday as an earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 7.2 struck northeastern Japan, but no tsunami warning was issued, the weather agency and local fire departments said, Kyodo reported.
The 07:30 a.m. quake occurred off the Pacific coast of Iwate Prefecture at a depth of 44 kilometers. It measured upper 6 on the Japanese seismic intensity scale of 7 in Hashikami and lower 6 in Hachinohe, both in Aomori Prefecture, the Japan Meteorological Agency said.
An intensity of upper 6 means it is impossible to remain standing or move without crawling, and most unfixed furniture will move and objects will topple over, according to the agency.
According to local fire departments in Hashikami and Hachinohe, four people, including teenagers and people in their 50s, were taken to hospital with minor injuries.
The agency urged the public at a press conference to remain alert for earthquakes measuring upper 6 on the Japanese seismic intensity scale over the next week.
The agency said it would not issue an Off the Coast of Hokkaido and Sanriku Subsequent Earthquake Advisory because the temblor did not meet the criteria for activation.
The advisory is issued when there is a relatively high risk of strong earthquakes occurring along the Japan and Chishima trenches, which run off the Pacific coast of northeastern Japan and Hokkaido.
The earthquake was initially reported as having a preliminary magnitude of 6.9 and a depth of 50 kilometers, but those figures were later revised.
The earthquake logged upper 5 in Sannohe in Aomori Prefecture and in Morioka and other parts of Iwate Prefecture. The temblor also affected Hokkaido and Akita, Fukushima, Miyagi and Yamagata prefectures as well as Tokyo and its neighboring prefectures.
No abnormalities were reported at the Higashidori or Onagawa nuclear power plants, located respectively in Aomori and Miyagi prefectures, or at the Fukushima Daiichi or Daini nuclear power plants in Fukushima Prefecture, according to their operators.
There were also no reports of abnormalities at the spent nuclear fuel reprocessing plant and the interim spent fuel storage facility in Aomori Prefecture.
According to Hashikami's school board, all five schools in the town, including elementary, middle and high schools, were temporarily closed. The Hachinohe school board also closed all 65 of its schools.
Tohoku Shinkansen bullet train services were halted between Tokyo and Shin-Aomori stations after the quake, JR East said, but services between Tokyo and Sendai had resumed as of 9:30 a.m.
Speaking to reporters at her office, Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said her government is gathering information to assess the impact of the temblor.
Earlier, it was reported that state of emergency had been declared in Venezuela, after twin powerful quakes jolted the capital city Caracas.
