Strong earthquake jolts northeastern Japan

Strong earthquake jolts northeastern Japan

2011-07-23 14:55:46 GMT+7 (ICT)

TOKYO (BNO NEWS) -- A strong earthquake struck just off the northeastern coast of Japan on early Saturday afternoon, seismologists and witnesses said, but there were no immediate reports of damage or casualties.

The 6.4-magnitude earthquake at 1.34 p.m. local time (0434 GMT) was centered about 20 kilometers (12.4 miles) southeast of Ofunato, a coastal city located in Iwate Prefecture. It struck about 47 kilometers (29 miles) deep, making it a shallow earthquake, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA).

The United States Geological Survey (USGS) estimated that some 208,000 people may have felt strong shaking, while 6.7 million others may have felt light to moderate tremors. There were no immediate reports of damage or casualties from the area, and neither JMA nor the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center issued a tsunami alert.

The Tokyo Electric Power Company said the earthquake had no effect on operations at the troubled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, according to NHK Television.

Japan, which is on the so-called Pacific Ring of Fire, is still recovering from an enormous 9.0-magnitude earthquake which struck off the coast of northeastern Japan on March 11, generating a large tsunami. The earthquake and resulting tsunami left at least 15,597 people killed while 4,980 others remain missing and feared dead.

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