Strong 6.8 magnitude earthquake rocked Japan’s east coast

6.8 magnitude earthquake struck northeastern Japan but no tsunami risk, specifically in Ishinomaki, a city just 104 kilometers from Fukushima, the site of the devastating earthquake 10 years ago, which triggered a massive tsunami, killing more than 18,000 people and causing severe material loss.

The United States Geological Survey (USGS) stated that the earthquake occurred at 10:27 a.m. (0127 GMT) at a depth of 47 kilometers (29 miles) in the Pacific, off Ishinomaki, Miyagi Prefecture, near the epicenter of a major 2011 earthquake.

The USGS and the Japan Meteorological Agency said there was no risk of a tsunami after the shock, which produced strong tremors in parts of the east coast and it was also felt in Tokyo.

The public broadcaster NHK he said there were no immediate reports of damage.

Japan is located in the Pacific Ring of Fire, an arc of intense seismic activity that spans Southeast Asia and the Pacific Basin.

The country is regularly hit by earthquakes and has strict building regulations to ensure that buildings can withstand strong tremors.

Japan is part of the “Ring of Fire”, an arc of intense seismic activity that stretches across the Pacific basin, from Southeast Asia, through South America and the United States. .

The country is generally the scene of frequent earthquakes and has strict building regulations that can withstand strong earthquakes.

The earthquake in this northeastern prefecture of Japan reached the top 5 on the Japanese scale, with a maximum of 7, and focused on measuring the tremors on the surface and affected areas, rather than on the intensity of the earthquake.

In other areas of northeastern Japan, including parts of Iwate and Fukushima prefectures, the earthquake reached a level 5 or 5 below, according to data from the Japan Meteorological Agency.

The earthquake was also strongly felt in Tokyo, where it recorded a level 3 on a Japanese scale.

TEPCO, the operating company of the damaged Fukushima Daiichi factory, is checking whether there have been any irregularities at this factory and other of its factories located in the areas affected by the earthquake, according to the channel. state. NHK.

So far, no material damage or injuries have been reported as a result of the earthquake.

Japan sits on one of the most active earthquake zones in the world and experiences earthquakes relatively frequently, so its infrastructure is specially designed to withstand tremors.

(With information from AFP and EFE)

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