Strong Earthquake Reported Off Japan’s East Coast; No Major Damage Reported

Picture courtesy www.upi.com

Fukushima (Japan): A strong earthquake was reported off Japan’s east coast around 11.15 pm local time (7.45 pm IST), shaking up buildings and triggering widespread blackouts.

But no major damage was reported and there was no tsunami warning.

According to early reports, the Japan Meteorological Agency estimated the quake to be of 7.1 magnitude on Richter scale.

The epicentre was 90 km east-northeast of Nami, off the coast of Fukushima prefecture, at a depth of 60 km.

Japanese public broadcaster NHK TV reported that it’s being ascertained if the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear plant was affected in any way. There were no immediate reports of irregularities from other nuclear plants in the area.

People near the coastal areas have been urged to move to higher areas.

The latest quake comes close to the 10th anniversary of the terrible earthquake which had triggered the Fukushima nuclear disaster. The 2011 earthquake had lasted six minutes and was of 9.0-9.1 magnitude, leading to a tsunami that reached heights of up to 40.5 metres.