Dozens of people injured after strong earthquake in Japan; Bahrainis are safe

Agencies | Tokyo

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com

Dozens of people were injured in Japan when a 7.3-magnitude earthquake shook the Fukushima province late Saturday, with the tremors felt strongly in the capital Tokyo over 200 kilometres away, local media reported.

At least 96 people were injured in the prefectures of Fukushima and Miyagi and in the Kanto region which includes Tokyo, Japanese television broadcaster NHK reported early on Sunday, according to Deutsche press agency (dpa).

The US Geological Survey (USGS) recorded the quake at a magnitude of 7.1 located 72 kilometers east-north-east of the town of Namie. Japanese authorities later upgraded the magnitude to 7.3.

There was no danger of a tsunami, the weather authorities said, after the tremor struck at 11:08 pm (14:08 GMT).

Early fears of damage to the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, which was hit by a stronger quake and tsunami that devastated the area 10 years ago, were allayed by the plant's operator Tepco.

There were no irregularities at the power plant.

There were also no reports of damage from other nuclear power plants currently shut down in the region.

A million households were reported to have temporarily lost power due to the tremors, including hundreds of thousands in the Tokyo area.

In March 2011, Fukushima and other areas in the north-east of the country were hit by a magnitude-9 earthquake and tsunami, leading the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant to suffer core meltdowns. At that time, more than 18,500 people died in the floods.

Meanwhile, the Embassy of the Kingdom of Bahrain in Tokyo contacted all Bahraini citizens in Japan to check on their safety following the strong earthquake that struck the Fukushima region in Japan.

It said that there were no casualties among Bahraini citizens, calling for the need to adhere to the procedures and laws established by the Japanese authorities to preserve the safety of all.