5.7-magnitude earthquake shakes buildings in Tokyo

National broadcaster NHK said no abnormalities were detected at nuclear power plants near the epicenter, which was north of Tokyo, where buildings rocked for upwards of half a minute.

The U.S. Geological Survey said the quake had hit at 16:23 (0723 GMT), with its epicenter 57 kilometers (36 miles) north-northeast of Maebashi and around 143 kilometers north-northwest of Tokyo.

The agency said it had struck at a depth of nine kilometers.

The Japan Meteorological Agency, which had earlier put the magnitude at 6.2, said minor aftershocks were continuing.

Takayuki Fukuda, an official at the Nikko city fire department in Tochigi prefecture, near the epicenter, told AFP by telephone that the quake had rocked the city, a popular spot on the tourist trail.

“It shook vertically for about 10 seconds. Nothing fell from shelves and window glass was not shattered. There was no report of fire and we are preparing to patrol the city,” he said.

Preliminary reports that a wall in the city had tumbled proved false, he said later, adding: “We have no information about any injury resulting” from the quake.

NHK said several bullet trains had been temporarily stopped, but service had resumed moments later.

SHARE CLOSE
Blogger		Google+
Live Journal		Plurk
Stumble Upon

Tweet

	PREVIOUS ARTICLE
	4 Chinese drivers jailed over strike in Singapore

NEXT ARTICLE
South Korea swears in first female president

Write a Comment

Terms

Enter your comments - 3000 characters max

Type in image code

 Receive China Post promos
 Respond to this email

Submit