Strong quake hits north Japan, injuring 13

A strong earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 7.1 rocked eastern areas of Hokkaido, Japan's northernmost main island, early Monday, injuring at least 13 people.

The quake also jolted a wide area of Japan ranging from the Tohoku to Kanto regions. It measured 3 on the Japanese seismic intensity scale of 7 in the northeastern prefectures of Aomori, Iwate and Miyagi.

The Japan Meteorological Agency issued a tidal wave warning on the eastern shores of Hokkaido's Pacific coastal area after the 3:32 a.m. (1832 GMT) quake and lifted it at 4:50 a.m.(1950 GMT).

The quake measured an intensity of upper 5 in the towns of Teshikaga, Kushiro and Betsukai in eastern Hokkaido, and a lower 5in the city of Kushiro, the towns of Niikappu, Shizunai and Akkeshi, and in the village of Sarabetsu.

The focus of the quake was about 48 kilometers under the surface of the Pacific off the Kushiro area, the agency said.

The quake reportedly injured 13 people. Harue Kamata, 80, suffered a broken right arm when she fell at her home in the city of Nemuro and a 13-year-old boy in the town of Akkeshi was hit by falling objects, according to police and other local authorities.

A total of about 13,000 households were temporarily advised to evacuate in Nemuro. The municipal government soon lifted the advisory.

Source: Xinhua