Japan: 6.1 earthquake in Tokyo injures over 30 people
Eva Deschamps / October 8, 2021
More than 30 people were injured in an earthquake that shook the Tokyo area Thursday night, the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) estimated its magnitude at 6.1 and said there was no risk of tsunami.
The U.S. Institute USGS has assessed the magnitude at 5.9 on the open Richter scale.
The tremor, felt in a large part of eastern Japan, shook buildings and triggered alarms on the phones of residents, intended to give them time to take shelter.
The epicenter of the earthquake that occurred at 22:41 Japanese time was located 80 km deep in Chiba Prefecture (east of Tokyo), said the JMA. The USGS estimated its depth at 61 kilometers.
On Friday morning, the Disaster and Fire Management Agency gave a toll of 32 injuries, mostly minor.
Fires were reported in a building and two refineries but were contained, according to the agency.
The traffic of local trains but also of high speed trains (Shinkansen) was immediately suspended as a precaution. On Friday morning, delays were still reported at Shinagawa station in Tokyo.
Checks are also being carried out at nuclear power plants, with no immediate reports of anomalies.
Japan remains haunted by the devastating 2011 earthquake and tsunami (more than 18,500 dead), which caused the Fukushima nuclear disaster.