Magnitude 6.6 quake jolts Japan
TOTTORI PREFECTURE: No tsunami warning or major damage reported
AN earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.6 shook western Japan yesterday, the Japan Meteorological Agency said, adding that a tsunami warning was not issued.
There were no immediate reports of injuries or major damage, and no irregularities at nuclear plants, but media said roughly 40,000 households were at one point without power.
Gravestones were toppled, bottles fell off store shelves and smashed, and at least one building collapsed.
There were no reports of deaths or major injuries, and nobody was trapped, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said.
The epicentre of the earthquake was in Tottori prefecture at a depth of 10km, the agency said.
The quake occurred at 2.07pm and was followed by a series of weaker aftershocks.
by an earthquake in
The Japan Atomic Energy Agency, a government-backed nuclear research institute, said connection to outside power at a partly-decommissioned experimental uranium
Japan, yesterday. extraction facility was lost for 53 minutes, but auxiliary generators turned on immediately so there was no loss of power or damage.
Earthquakes are common in Japan, one of the world’s most seismically active area.
Japan accounts for about 20 per cent of the world’s earthquakes of magnitude 6 or greater. Reuters