Four injured after 7.2-magnitude earthquake hits Japan's Iwate
The temblor, revised up from a preliminary magnitude of 6.9, occurred at around 7:30 a.m. local time off the eastern coast of Iwate Prefecture at a depth of about 40 km. It measured upper 6, the second-highest level on Japan's seismic scale of 7, in Hashikami Town and lower 6 in Hachinohe City, both in Aomori Prefecture, the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) said.
An intensity of upper 6 means it is impossible to remain standing or move without crawling, and most unfixed furniture will move, and objects will topple over, Kyodo News reported, quoting the weather agency.
The earthquake also affected Hokkaido and Akita, Fukushima, Miyagi, and Yamagata prefectures, as well as Tokyo and its neighbouring prefectures, according to JMA.
No tsunami advisory was issued. People in strongly affected areas were urged to remain alert for earthquakes of a similar magnitude, reports Xinhua news agency.
There were no reports of abnormalities at the Higashidori or Onagawa nuclear power plants, located respectively in Aomori and Miyagi prefectures, or at the Fukushima Daiichi or Daini nuclear power plants in Fukushima Prefecture, according to their operators.
The quake's epicentre was located at 40.2 degrees north latitude and 142.3 degrees east longitude.
In a separate development, two powerful earthquakes struck Venezuela in quick succession, both causing strong tremors in the capital of Caracas.
The US Geological Survey (USGS) reported a magnitude 7.1 quake at 2204 GMT on Wednesday evening, followed just one minute later by an even stronger magnitude 7.5 tremor. Both struck near the coastal town of Moron, about 160 km west of Caracas.
The quakes were shallow with a depth of 10 km, which could intensify their destructive impact.
Venezuela's Acting President Delcy Rodriguez has announced a State of Emergency after two powerful earthquakes struck the South American nation, causing widespread damage.
