strong earthquake in japan

Authorities are investigating possible casualties and damage after a powerful earthquake struck near central Japan on Friday afternoon, but there were no reports of a tsunami threat.

Government spokesman Hirokazu Matsuno told reporters that authorities were investigating possible casualties, putting human life first. He said damage to buildings had been reported, but details were still being confirmed.

According to the US Geological Survey’s Earthquake Information Center, a magnitude 6.2 earthquake struck off the central west coast of the Japanese island of Honshu at 2:42 p.m. ET. The Japan Meteorological Agency initially placed the magnitude at 6.3, but later raised it to 6.5. He measured about 12 km depth.

The Fire and Disaster Management Agency said two people were reported injured in Ishikawa’s Suzu city on the northern tip of Noto Peninsula: one person was found without vital signs after falling from a ladder, and one from falling over a cabinet. Another was injured. Them.

Japanese reports do not list people as dead, even if their heart has stopped beating, until deaths are officially declared by a medical doctor.

The agency said two people were rescued from separate damaged buildings and a fifth person was injured in a fall.

According to Matsuno, there were no reports of any problems at the two major nuclear facilities in the area.

Shinkansen Super-Express bullet trains connecting Tokyo and Kanazawa in quake-hit Ishikawa Prefecture were temporarily suspended for safety checks, East Japan Railway Co. said, but resumed normal operations despite some delays Is.

Japan is one of the most earthquake-prone countries in the world. A massive earthquake in the country’s northeast in 2011 triggered a devastating tsunami and nuclear plant meltdown that still reverberates today.