Japan hit by 6.9-magnitude earthquake

[pkpatriotic]

Japan hit by 6.9-magnitude earthquake
The Associated Press
Monday, November 29, 2010

TOKYO -- A 6.9-magnitude earthquake struck off Japan's southern coast Tuesday, shaking a broad swath of the country and swaying buildings in downtown Tokyo.

No damage or injuries were immediately reported, and Japan's meteorological agency said there was no danger of a tsunami.

The temblor hit at 12:25 p.m. local time (0325 GMT), with the epicenter near the Ogasawara Islands, about 500 miles (800 kilometers) south of the main Japanese island, the agency said. It struck at a depth of 300 miles (480 kilometers).

Japan's meteorological agency reported a magnitude of 6.9, however, the U.S. Geological Survey said the quake was 6.6. The reason for the discrepancy was not immediately clear.

The Ogasawara are known as the Bonin Islands outside of Japan.

Japan is one of the most earthquake-prone countries in the world. In 1995, a quake of magnitude 7.2 killed 6,400 people in the western port city of Kobe.

 

[AMCA]

Oh My Goodness.... Happy to here there are no Casualties..

 

[Hindustani]

TOKYO — A powerful earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.9 rattled Japan's southern islands early Saturday, injuring two and initially prompting fears of a tsunami.

There were no reports of serious damage from the quake, believed to be the strongest in a century to hit Japan's southern Okinawa Island. Japan's Kyodo news agency said two people were hurt, but there were no reports of any deaths.

The quake occurred off the coast of the island of Okinawa at a depth of 6.2 miles at 5:31 a.m., the Meteorological Agency said.

The only damage reported hours after the quake was ruptured water pipes in two locations, Okinawa police official Noritomi Kikuzato said.

The Meteorological Agency had initially predicted a tsunami up to 6 feet near the Okinawan coast and warned nearby residents to stay away from the coastline. The agency lifted the warning within two hours after observing only a small swelling of the tide.

'Houses swayed sideways'
"I was fast asleep when the quake hit, and I jumped out of bed. It felt like the shaking lasted forever," Ryota Ueno, a town official in the Nishihara district of Okinawa, told public broadcaster NHK.

Masaaki Nakasone, an official in Nanjo town, said his house shook violently but all furniture and other objects stayed intact.

"First there was a vertical shaking, then the house swayed sideways," Nakasone said.

Okinawa is about 1,000 miles southwest of Tokyo.

The quake registered a 5 on the Japanese scale, which measures intensity in specific locations and goes up to 7. Kyodo said that made it the strongest to hit the island since 1909.

Japan is one of the world's most earthquake-prone countries. In 1995, a magnitude-7.2 quake in the western port city of Kobe killed 6,400 people.


Strong quake injures 2 in south Japan - World news - Asia-Pacific - msnbc.com