Magnitude 5.7 earthquake injures dozens in Japan
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Citizen Digital
A magnitude 5.7 earthquake injured dozens in central Japan, without triggering a tsunami warning. The earthquake also shattered shop windows and disrupted several railway lines, including high-speed trains, according to Citizen Digital.
The magnitude 5.7 earthquake that struck at 1:04 am local time on Sunday in Shizuoka Prefecture, west of Tokyo, left at least 16 people injured, according to reports to authorities in neighbouring Aichi Prefecture, according to an emergency services official cited by AFP. Shizuoka authorities also said at least three women received medical care, including a woman in her nineties who injured her shoulder after falling from her bed during the shaking.
Local media Chunichi Shimbun and Tokai Television reported at least 24 injuries in Aichi and Shizuoka prefectures. In Toyohashi, the windows of a car dealership were shattered, while a large bookshop in Toyota reported goods falling from shelves. The tremors also temporarily disrupted regional trains, including Shinkansen services, according to authorities and local media.
The earthquake was felt as far as Osaka, where a person fell from a second-floor flat after being startled by the tremors and was hospitalised, according to local media. No deaths were reported and no tsunami warning was issued by the Japan Meteorological Agency.
Another earthquake, measuring magnitude 4.3, struck the Kumamoto region at 10:53 am on Sunday. No serious damage or injuries had been reported immediately. Southwestern Japan remains marked by the magnitude 7.1 earthquake that killed 38 people in July and destroyed homes.
