TOKYO, Sept 17 (AFP) - A strong 6.6-magnitude undersea quake and a series of aftershocks hit off the coast of Japan's Honshu island today, not far from the area ravaged by a huge March quake and tsunami, geologists said.
There were no immediate reports of damage or casualties and no widespread tsunami warning, although the initial earthquake was followed by five more quakes of magnitude five or above, one of them measuring 6.2.
The United States Geological Survey (USGS) said the first, 36.2-kilometre (22.6-mile) deep quake hit 108 kilometres east-south-east of the coastal town of Hachinohe, 574 kilometres from Tokyo, at 4:26 am (1926 GMT Friday).
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said that “no destructive widespread tsunami risk exists based on historical earthquake and tsunami data”.
But it said that quakes of this size sometimes generate local tsunamis. “Authorities in the region of the epicentre should be aware of this,” the centre said in a statement. |
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