Society

Major quake strikes northern Japan

Jun 19 (NHK) - The Japan Meteorological Agency says a magnitude-6.7 quake struck the northern part of the country late Tuesday night. No fatalities have been reported. Tsunami advisories issued along the Sea of Japan coast have been lifted.

Seismologists say the tremor hit off the coast of Yamagata Prefecture at 10:22 PM on Tuesday.

They later downgraded the magnitude of the quake from 6.8 to 6.7.

The focus is estimated to be 14 kilometers under the seabed.

Tsunami advisories were issued for the coasts of Yamagata, Niigata and Ishikawa prefectures.

The prefecture hit hardest by the earthquake was Niigata, which registered an intensity of 6 plus on the Japanese scale of zero to 7.

Authorities in the prefecture say six people were injured.

Strong shaking was felt across wide areas, including neighboring Yamagata Prefecture, where seven women suffered injuries.

The strong jolt has knocked out electricity in the region. Utility company officials said thousands of households in Niigata and Yamagata prefectures were without power at one point.

Source: ANNnewsCH

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