Japan earthquake: One dead after a 6.2-magnitude earthquake and many injured

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A house damaged by Friday’s earthquake in Suzu, a part of Ishikawa Prefecture, central Japan. photo/AP

A powerful earthquake has struck central Japan, killing at least one person, injuring more than 20 and disrupting vacation plans.

The US Geological Survey said the 6.2-magnitude quake struck Ishikawa Prefecture, on the west coast of Japan’s main island of Honshu. The Japan Meteorological Agency measured the quake at 6.5 and said the epicenter was at a depth of about 12 kilometres. More than 50 aftershocks strong enough to be felt have been recorded since then, including one with a magnitude of 5.8 Friday night.

Most of the injuries and damage were reported in the city of Suzu at the northern tip of the Noto Peninsula in Ishikawa Prefecture. One person died after falling from a ladder, and 22 others were injured in the province, two of them seriously. The rest had minor injuries.

About 100 residents have taken refuge in evacuation centers, according to the county’s crisis management. One injury was reported in neighboring Toyama Prefecture, according to the Fire and Disaster Management Agency.

Announced with NZME: A Shinto Gate has fallen in Suzu, a city in Ishikawa Prefecture, central Japan. photo/AP

Several homes were also damaged. Some residents put blue plastic tarps over the damaged parts of their homes before the rains, which are expected to start in the evening. A video clip broadcast by public television network NHK showed a section of a hill that collapsed and fell on a house. The channel also broadcast a video taken by an employee while he was visiting a relative in Ishikawa Prefecture, which showed a room shaking for about half a minute, and photo frames flying on the walls. This week Japan celebrates many national holidays.

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, who returned from a multinational trip to Africa and Singapore Friday night, expressed his condolences to the earthquake victims and urged residents to “exercise extreme caution” amid possible strong aftershocks and secondary mudslides.

East Japan Railways said bullet trains connecting Tokyo and Kanazawa in Ishikawa Prefecture had been temporarily halted for safety checks but had resumed normal operations, with some delays. According to the Nuclear Regulatory Authority, there have been no abnormalities in nuclear power plants in the region.

Japan is one of the most earthquake-prone countries in the world. The 2011 earthquake in the northeast of the country caused a devastating tsunami and a nuclear plant meltdown.

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