60 injured after Japan quake
2005-08-17 07:43
Tokyo - The number of people injured in a powerful quake off Japan's Pacific coast rose to 60 on Wednesday as the government warned aftershocks measuring above 6.0 on the Richter scale could strike the region.
Tuesday's quake, which measured 7.2 on the Richter scale, jolted the ocean floor off Miyagi prefecture 300km north of Tokyo, damaged 159 buildings and triggered 11 landslides, police said.
The tremor, which occurred before noon, also shook Tokyo and its environs, swaying towering buildings and shutting down Japan's bullet trains and a nuclear power plant.
The National Police Agency said 60 people were injured in the quake by the latest count. Japan's public broadcaster NHK said the number of injured climbed to 72.
No one was killed in the quake and most of the injuries and damage were light.
But Japan's meteorological agency warned that strong aftershocks measuring above 6.0 on the Richter scale could strike the Miyagi region within several days.
"There is a possiblity that strong aftershocks could hit the region again," an agency official said.
- AFP