November 8, Tokyo
At least 24 people were injured when a 5.7-magnitude earthquake struck central Japan early Sunday, shattering building windows and disrupting train services, officials and local media reported.
According to the Japan Meteorological Agency, the earthquake struck Shizuoka Prefecture, west of Tokyo, at 1:04 am local time. No tsunami warning was issued following the quake.
No deaths have been reported, but shop windows were shattered and items fell from drawers and shelves.
An emergency services official in Aichi Prefecture said 16 people had been reported to have sustained minor injuries. Officials in neighbouring Shizuoka Prefecture said at least three women had sought hospital treatment. Among them was a woman in her 90s who injured her shoulder after falling out of bed during the tremor.
Local newspaper Chunichi Shimbun and Tokai Television separately reported that at least 24 people had been injured in Aichi and Shizuoka prefectures.
In Toyohashi city, Aichi, the windows of a car showroom were shattered. In Toyota city, books and other items fell from shelves at a large bookstore.
The earthquake also caused delays and disruptions to regional train services and Shinkansen bullet trains on Sunday morning. Tremors were felt as far west as Osaka.
According to local media, a foreign national in Osaka was hospitalised after falling from the second floor of an apartment building while panicking during the earthquake. Further details were not immediately available from Osaka officials.
Meanwhile, the Meteorological Agency said another earthquake measuring 4.3 on the Richter scale struck the Kumamoto area on Sunday morning. No reports of serious damage or injuries were immediately received.
Japan lies in the Pacific Ocean’s “Ring of Fire”, where hundreds of earthquakes occur every year. A powerful 9.0-magnitude earthquake in 2011 triggered a tsunami that left around 18,500 people dead or missing. The disaster also caused extensive damage to the Fukushima nuclear power plant.
—RSS/AFP
