A magnitude 6.8 earthquake struck off the coast of northeastern Japan on Saturday, the United States Geological Survey (USGS) reported.
According to Japan's Meteorological Agency, the overall magnitude of tremors was 6.6, while the focus of the earthquake was located at a depth of 60 kilometers.
So far, no information has been received about possible damage or casualties. A tsunami alert has not been issued by the authorities.
M6.8 #earthquake!
— T ∃ S L A 🌐 (@Discloser1) May 1, 2021
Depth: 47.3 km
Fri Apr 30 21:27:27 GMT-04:00 2021
Near 38 km ESE of Ishinomaki, #Japan
https://t.co/tX6om9UZ52 pic.twitter.com/TczhZ0ehYW
According to the local Japanese media, in parts of Miyagi Prefecture, the quake recorded a 5 on the Japanese seismic intensity scale.
宮城県で震度5強 津波の心配なし 地震発生時の石巻市の様子https://t.co/LAEnErItEp#nhk_video pic.twitter.com/JPoq1V5oIS
— NHKニュース (@nhk_news) May 1, 2021
The Japanese NHK channel reported that an emergency headquarters was established in the office of the Prime Minister of Japan in connection with the earthquake.
According to reports, railroad companies in prefectures affected by the earthquake have temporarily suspended trains for preventive safety checks. The authorities also ordered additional checks at nuclear power plants in the northeastern part of the country.
Japan is located in a seismically active region known as the Ring of Fire, and strong earthquakes occur on a regular basis.
The notorious Fukushima nuclear plant disaster was triggered by a 9.0 magnitude earthquake and tsunami that struck Japan in March 2011. The earthquake killed over 15,000 people.
