UPDATE 2 -- Strong quake strikes off northeastern Japan, no damage

UPDATE 2 -- Strong quake strikes off northeastern Japan, no damage

2011-08-19 13:42:27 GMT+7 (ICT)

TOKYO (BNO NEWS) -- A strong earthquake struck off the coast of northeastern Japan on Friday afternoon, seismologists said, briefly prompting a tsunami advisory for some areas. There were no immediate reports of damage or casualties.

The 6.8-magnitude earthquake at 2.36 p.m. local time (0536 GMT) was centered about 99 kilometers (61 miles) southeast of Sendai, the capital city of Miyagi Prefecture. It struck about 20 kilometers (12 miles) deep, making it a shallow earthquake, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA).

Tremors with an intensity of 5 minus on the Japanese seismic scale of 0 to 7 were felt in several areas along the coast, which was heavily damaged by a massive quake and tsunami in March. But there were no immediate reports of damage or casualties.

The United States Geological Survey (USGS), which measured the strength of the earthquake at 6.5 on the Richter scale, estimated that some 2.8 million people may have felt moderate shaking. "There is a low likelihood of casualties and damage," the USGS said.

The Tokyo Electric Power Company said no abnormalities were immediately found at the damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in Fukushima Prefecture after the earthquake, and cooling operations were continuing.

Neither JMA nor the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center issued a tsunami watch or warning, although JMA briefly issued a tsunami advisory for Miyagi and Fukushima prefectures, advising that a small tsunami up to 0.5 meters (1.6 feet) in height could hit the coastline. A tsunami advisory is the lowest level of alert.

However, no unusual waves were observed and JMA canceled the tsunami advisories about 30 minutes later. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center also said there was no threat of a destructive, widespread tsunami.

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 15,698 people killed while 4,666 others remain missing and are feared dead.

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