Strong quake hits off Japan coast, injuring dozens and triggering blackouts
Issei Kato/Reuters, Chris Gallagher/Reuters, Elaine Lies/Reuters, and Yuka Obayashi/Reuters
IWAKI, Japan (Reuters) — A strong earthquake hit off the coast of eastern Japan on Saturday, injuring dozens of people and triggering widespread power outages, but there appeared to be no major damage and no tsunami warning was issued.
The earthquake had a 7.3 magnitude and its epicenter was off the coast of Fukushima prefecture at a depth of 36 miles, the Japan Meteorological Agency said. It shook buildings for some time after it hit, shortly after 11:00 p.m.
Houses and offices in the capital Tokyo, hundreds of kilometers away, also swayed and shook. No tsunami warning had been issued, the meteorological agency said.
At least two dozen people were injured, according to reports from the Kyodo news agency.
A Reuters cameraman on location in Fukushima said his 10th-floor hotel room shook for some time. One man at the hotel was taken to hospital after falling and hitting his head on a door, the cameraman said.
Although injured, the man was still able to walk, the cameraman said.
Television footage also showed broken glass from shop fronts.
Some 950,000 households were initially without power, government spokesman Katsunobu Kato told a briefing carried on public broadcaster NHK. The blackouts appeared to be concentrated in northeast Japan, including Fukushima and neighbouring prefectures.
There were no irregularities at the Fukushima Daiichi and Daini nuclear power plants, or at the Kahiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear plant, owner Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings said.
The utility also said there was no change in the radiation levels around its plants.
Kato said there were no irregularities at the Onagawa nuclear facility.
The quake hit off of Fukushima just weeks before the 10th anniversary of a quake on March 11, 2011 that devastated northeast Japan and triggered a massive tsunami leading to the world’s worst nuclear crisis in a quarter of a century – one centred at the Daiichi facility.
Earthquakes are common in Japan, one of the world’s most seismically active areas. Japan accounts for about 20% of the world’s earthquakes of magnitude 6 or greater.
Files are scattered following an earthquake at a meeting room of Kyodo News Sendai branch office in Sendai, Miyagi prefecture, northeastern Japan Saturday, Feb. 13, 2021. The Japan Meteorological Agency says a strong earthquake has hit off the coast of northeastern Japan, shaking Fukushima, Miyagi and other areas. (Kyodo News via AP)
Water covers a floor of Fukushima station as it leaks from a ceiling following an earthquake in Fukushima, northeastern Japan Saturday, Feb. 13, 2021. A strong earthquake hit off the coast of northeastern Japan late Saturday, shaking Fukushima, Miyagi and other areas, but there was no threat of a tsunami, officials said. (Kyodo News via AP)
A lamp is used during an outage following an earthquake in Ichikawa, Chiba prefecture, about 230 kilometers (143 miles) away from Fukushima Saturday, Feb. 13, 2021. The Japan Meteorological Agency says a strong earthquake has hit off the coast of northeastern Japan, shaking Fukushima, Miyagi and other areas. (Keiko Hatto via AP)
A liquor shop’s manager clears the damaged bottles following an earthquake in Fukushima, northeastern Japan Saturday, Feb. 13, 2021. The Japan Meteorological Agency says a strong earthquake has hit off the coast of northeastern Japan, shaking Fukushima, Miyagi and other areas. (Jun Hirata/Kyodo News via AP)
A landlady of a Japanese style hotel stands near damaged bowls following an earthquake in Minamisoma, Fukushima prefecture, northeastern Japan Saturday, Feb. 13, 2021. The Japan Meteorological Agency says a strong earthquake has hit off the coast of northeastern Japan, shaking Fukushima, Miyagi and other areas. (Tomomi Miura/Kyodo News via AP)
Furniture falls following an earthquake in Koriyama, Fukushima prefecture, northeastern Japan Saturday, Feb. 13, 2021. A strong earthquake hit off the coast of northeastern Japan late Saturday, shaking Fukushima, Miyagi and other areas, but there was no threat of a tsunami, officials said. (Kyodo News via AP)
Files are scattered on the floor following an earthquake at a town office in Hironomachi, Fukushima prefecture, northeastern Japan Saturday, Feb. 13, 2021. A strong earthquake hit off the coast of northeastern Japan late Saturday, shaking Fukushima, Miyagi and other areas, but there was no threat of a tsunami, officials said. (Naoya Osato/Kyodo News via AP)
A liquor shop’s manager clears the damaged bottles following an earthquake in Fukushima, northeastern Japan Saturday, Feb. 13, 2021. The Japan Meteorological Agency says a strong earthquake has hit off the coast of northeastern Japan, shaking Fukushima, Miyagi and other areas. (Jun Hirata/Kyodo News via AP)
