NI Wire
April 20: Japan, one of the world’s most seismically active areas once again faces the threat of yet another catastrophe. As per statistics Japan accounts for about 20 per cent of the world's earthquakes with magnitude 6 or greater than 6 Richter.
Once again a series of tremors flustered Japan. This time it was Southwest area in Japan which was afflicted on Friday. The monitoring agencies also warned of a possible tsunami, which however failed to turn up. “The earthquake had a preliminary magnitude of 6.7 R and struck at 10:46 a.m. (0146 GMT),� the Meteorological Agency said. Earlier an earthquake of magnitude 5.5 jolted northern Japan in the early hours of Thursday. There were no reports of injuries or damage but latter reports confirmed that at least 250 people had been injured and at least one killed. According to Kyodo news agency a 75-year-old woman had died.
The tremor with final magnitude of seven Richter damaged buildings and cut down the utility supplies."We had frightened residents coming to the store because their own homes were shaking with the shocks," said Shigeru Harada, a manager at a supermarket in Fukuoka city.
The earthquake was followed by an aftershock with a preliminary magnitude of 6. A tsunami warning was issued for waves of about 50 cm (20 inches), adding that the waves were thought to have reached some shores. People living on the island were warned to stay away from the coast as a precaution.
``I could feel a little bit of shaking, but it wasn't strong enough to rattle cups on desktops and the like,'' local policeman Takumi Higa said. The supply of basic amenities like water and gas supplies were disrupted, while bullet train services were stopped by automatic trigger systems.
In the tiny island of Genkai, off the coast of Kyushu, about 100 residents left their homes, as some collapsed and others were badly damaged, NHK said.
The quake was also felt in South Korea, but there was no major damage reported there.
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