56 injured in Japan quake

2005-08-16 14:02

Tokyo - At least 56 people were injured on Tuesday when a powerful earthquake struck off the coast of northern Japan, with many casualties occurring when the roof of a gymnasium collapsed, officials said.

Injuries were reported across four provinces on Japan's main island following the quake that registered 7.2 on the Richter scale, the national fire and disaster management agency said.

The worst-hit was Miyagi prefecture where 39 people were slightly injured, including 26 people who were hurt in the city of Sendai when the roof of a gymnasium partially caved in, the agency said.

In Fukushima prefecture south of Miyagi, a fire department official said two of the five injuries appeared to be serious: a 73-year-old man who was hit by a falling stone lantern and a 76-year-old woman who stumbled due to the quake.

The national agency said the injured also included nine people in Iwate prefecture north of Miyagi and three people in Saitama on the outskirts of Tokyo, including a woman whose Japanese-style wooden house caved in.

Most of the injuries from the quake appeared to be slight.

"We have not received any reports of people dying or missing," said disaster prevention minister Yoshitaka Murata.

- AFP