A massive earthquake that struck off the Japanese coast Saturday evening does not appear to pose a tsunami threat, but it rattled dwellers in Tokyo and others in the Pacific Rim, where seismic activity has been more jumpy than usual recently.
The US Geological Survey reported the quake was of 7.8 magnitude and said it struck about 874 kilometres south of Tokyo in the Pacific Ocean, near Japan’s OgasawaraIslands. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said the earthquake had a magnitude of 8.5 and was at a deep depth of 696 kilometres.
Tokyo residents were quick to note on Twitter that, had the quake been at more shallow depth, it could have generated a tsunami possibly worse that the one that struck Japan in 2011, killing more than 15,000 people and triggering a nuclear power disaster.
As it was, Saturday’s quake caused buildings to sway in Tokyo but it only caused minor damage in shops and private homes. Still, many Japanese residents were rattled, partly because of memories of 2011 but also because of a volcano that erupted in the far southern part of Japan on Friday.
Tokyo Electric Power Co said there were no abnormalities at the crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant following the quake.
The runways at Tokyo's Narita airport were initially shut down but later operating normally but the high-speed bullet train service between Tokyo and Osaka was halted due to a power outage, public broadcaster NHK said.
Meanwhile, mild tremors were felt in the National Capital in India and neighbouring areas triggering panic as people living in high-rises rushed out of the buildings.
Image: Soccer fans react to a strong earthquake as they watch the J-League first division soccer game between Shonan Bellmare and Sanfrecce Hiroshima in Hiratsuka, near Tokyo. Photograph: Kyodo/Reuters
