Hundreds of aftershocks and tremors Shake Japan
Pastor Dale Morgan
Hundreds of aftershocks and tremors Shake Japan*
An earthquake of magnitude 7.1 has struck off the west coast of Japan's
largest island, Honshu and was followed by hundreds of aftershocks and
tremors
At least one person was killed and 175 were reportedly injured by the
tremor which was felt in the capital, Tokyo.
A tsunami warning was issued for a short time in Ishikawa prefecture,
with swell of up to 50cm reported.
Meanwhile, two quakes - measured at 7.2 and 6.0 by the US - hit near
Vanuatu in the southern Pacific Ocean. There were no reports of damage
or casualties.
The larger quake struck at 1140 (0040 GMT Sunday), and was followed 28
minutes later by the magnitude 6.0 quake.
Both were centred 335km (210 miles) south-east of the capital, Port Vila.
Police said they were checking remote islands where the quake was closer
to land areas.
Seismically active
The Japan earthquake struck at 0942 (0042 GMT). Its epicentre was 300km
(200 miles) north-west of Tokyo, Japan's meteorological agency said.
Hundreds of aftershocks and tremors were detected throughout the day,
with a 5.3-magnitude quake reported at 1815 local time (0915 GMT).
Television pictures showed buildings in the Ishikawa prefecture shaking
violently for about 30 seconds and Japan's public broadcaster NHK
reported that several buildings had collapsed.
The BBC's Chris Hogg in Hong Kong says there are also reports of
landslides, a ruptured water main and roads being buckled by the jolt.
A 52-year-old woman died in Wajima, a resort and fishing town on the
western side of the peninsula, after being trapped under a stone lantern
that toppled in her garden, reports said.
"I wasn't able to stand at all, it was really terrible", one woman in
Wajima told NHK.
Many of those injured were hit by falling debris or broken glass and are
being treated in hospital, with some said to be badly hurt.
Government troops have been sent to the area to assist with the clear up
and warnings have been issued of further aftershocks in the affected region.
Damaged houses in western Japan
Wooden houses were badly damaged by the Japan quake
About 1,000 people have been evacuated from their homes and given
temporary shelter in Wajima, reports say.
Earthquakes are common in Japan, one of the world's most seismically
active areas.
In October 2004, an earthquake with a magnitude of 6.8 struck the
Niigata region in northern Japan, killing 65 people and injuring more
than 3,000.
In 1995 a magnitude 7.2 tremor killed more than 6,400 people in the city
of Kobe.