New Delhi: An earthquake of magnitude 5.8 on the Richter Scale hit Japan early on March 15 (Japan local time), the Japan Meteorological Agency said. There were no immediate reports of damage, reported news agency Reuters.
According to Japan Meteorological Agency, the epicentre of the earthquake was off the coast of Fukushima prefecture, where strong tremors were recorded.
However, there was no tsunami warning issued, reported Reuters.
Earlier in January, an earthquake of 6.0 magnitude hit the west coast of Japan near Honshu. According to AFP, the tremors caused strong shaking though no warning for tsunami was issued.
The earthquake had come just a week after a powerful 7.5 magnitude earthquake rocked the East Asian nation.
The death count from the earthquake that jolted Japan on New Year’s Day reached 161, said the authorities. The number of people reported missing went down from 195 to 103, said the authorities in the central Ishikawa region which witnessed damage due to the quake, as per AFP.
The shock waves toppled buildings, sparked a major fire, and triggered tsunami waves measuring over a metre.
The tremors also cut off the roads and resulted in an estimated 1,000 landslides which made it difficult for the thousands of rescuers who have been drafted from all over the country, AFP reported.
At least 2,000 people in many communities on the remote peninsula have been cut off by damaged roads, with some of an estimated 1,000 landslides also blocking aid vehicles.
Consequently, relief materials were slow to reach the areas suffering from shortages of water and power outages.
Around 20,700 households in the wider Ishikawa region remained without electricity, while more than 66,100 households were without water, the AFP report added.
In an interview with NHK, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida had said that the “first priority” was to rescue people under the rubble and to reach isolated communities.
