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TOKYO, May 6 (AP) — A powerful shallow earthquake rocked central Japan Friday afternoon, killing at least one person, injuring more than 20 and disrupting vacationers’ plans.
A 6.2-magnitude earthquake hit Ishikawa prefecture on the west coast of Japan’s Honshu island, the US Geological Survey said. The Japan Meteorological Agency measured the quake at magnitude 6.5 and said the epicenter was at a depth of about 12 kilometers (7.5 miles).
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Since then, more than 50 aftershocks strong enough to be felt have been recorded, including a magnitude 5.8 one on Friday night.
According to reports, Suzu City, at the northern tip of the Noto Peninsula in Ishikawa Prefecture, suffered the most injuries and losses. One person was killed and 22 others were injured, two seriously, in the county after falling from a ladder. The rest were minor injuries.
Read also | Earthquake in Japan: 6.2-magnitude quake hits Ishikawa prefecture; 1 dead, 20 injured.
About 100 residents took shelter in evacuation centers Friday night, according to the county’s crisis management department. One person was injured in neighboring Toyama prefecture, according to the Fire and Disaster Management Agency.
Several houses were also damaged. Some residents put blue plastic tarps over damaged parts of their homes Saturday morning before rain was expected to start in the evening.
A video broadcast by public broadcaster NHK showed part of the hill collapsed on top of a house. It also played a video taken by staff while visiting relatives in Ishikawa prefecture, showing the room shaking for nearly half a minute and picture frames on the wall rattling. Japan is celebrating several national holidays this week.
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, who returned from a multi-country tour of Africa and Singapore on Friday night, expressed condolences to the quake victims and urged residents to be “extremely careful” amid the possibility of strong aftershocks and a second mudslide.
Bullet trains linking Tokyo and Kanazawa in Ishikawa prefecture were temporarily suspended for safety checks but resumed normal operations with some delays, East Japan Railway Co said.
According to the Nuclear Regulatory Agency, there are no abnormalities in the nuclear power plants in the area.
Japan is one of the most earthquake-prone countries in the world. In 2011, a massive earthquake hit the northeastern part of the country, triggering a devastating tsunami and a nuclear power plant meltdown. (Associated Press)
(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from a Syndicated News feed, the content body may not have been modified or edited by LatestLY staff)
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