Magnitude 5.7 tremor in Shizuoka leaves over twenty hurt as Japanese seismologists call for a week of vigilance
No tsunami warning was issued and nothing unusual has so far been seen in the Nankai Trough.
A magnitude 5.7 earthquake struck central Japan at 1:04 am local time on Sunday. According to the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA), the epicentre lay in western Shizuoka prefecture, some 200 kilometres west of Tokyo, at a depth of about 40 kilometres. No tsunami warning was issued, Al Jazeera reports, citing the Kyodo news agency.
Citing Japanese media, RTBF counts at least 24 injured in Shizuoka and neighbouring Aichi prefecture, most of them lightly. Among them is a 90-year-old woman who fell out of bed. Shop windows shattered in several cities, and according to Al Jazeera some people fell on stairs while fleeing buildings. Trains were delayed and Shinkansen bullet trains ran at reduced speed as a precaution.
JMA official Ayataka Ebita said no changes had so far been detected in the Nankai Trough, the offshore zone where two plates meet and where scientists expect a major quake at some point. The agency asks residents to be ready for further strong shaking over the coming week, especially the first two to three days, and to watch out for mudslides and falling rocks.