A magnitude 6.5 earthquake, which measured a strong 6 on the shindo(intensity) scale, jolted Ishikawa Prefecture on Friday afternoon, killing one and leaving at least 22 others injured.
There was no tsunami, but the Meteorological Agency said it confirmed sea level changes of around 10 centimeters in the prefecture.
On Friday evening, a magnitude 5.8 aftershock, which measured a strong 5 on the Japanese scale, also hit the area. The initial jolt was the largest among a series of quakes that have been hitting the Noto area since December 2020.
Local police in the city of Suzu, Ishikawa Prefecture — near the initial quake’s epicenter — were responding to reports of injuries and collapsed buildings, NHK reported. One man who fell off a ladder was confirmed to have been killed, while the fire department in Suzu said that three houses had collapsed and that two people who had been trapped in two of the structures had been rescued, the broadcaster said.
The initial quake struck at 2:42 p.m. on the northern tip of Ishikawa Prefecture’s Noto Peninsula on the Sea of Japan coast, located about 300 kilometers northwest of Tokyo. The quake occurred at a depth of 12 kilometers.
Strong 6, which was recorded in the city of Suzu, is the second-highest level on Japan’s intensity scale. The level of shaking can make it “impossible to remain standing or move without crawling,” the Meteorological Agency says.
A man in his 30s said earlier in the day that his two-story house in Suzu was partially destroyed, although no one inside was injured. He said he was sorting through valuables as he can no longer live in the house.
The quake led to the suspension of some train lines, including the Hokuriku Shinkansen between Nagano and Kanazawa stations, West Japan Railway said. The shinkansen later resumed service.
Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings reported no damage at the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa Nuclear Power Plant in Niigata Prefecture, while Hokuriku Electric Power reported no problems at the Shika nuclear power plant in Ishikawa Prefecture.
The weather agency warned of the possibility of quakes of around strong 6 occurring over the next week.
Deadly earthquake strikes Japan, leaves trail of damage
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The magnitude 6.2 earthquake struck just off the west coast of Japan's main island of Honshu, according to the United States Geological Survey. The earthquake was rated at a slightly higher magnitude of 6.5 on the Japan Meteorological Agency's scale, following the agency's initial rating of 6.3, according to Reuters.
The quake occurred at a relatively shallow depth, with its epicenter 5.4 miles (8.7 km) below the Earth's surface. Despite the epicenter being located near the coast, no tsunami was triggered.
Video footage from a store in Ishikawa, Japan, showed shelves rocking back and forth amid the earthquake. Some business floors were left littered with goods as the shaking became strong enough for items to fall off of shelves.
Transportation was temporarily affected along the railways connecting Tokyo and Kanazawa as safety checks were performed to ensure no damage had occurred, according to the AP.
Officials are warning residents to be prepared for potentially strong tremors in the days following the main quake.
Latest quakes in or near Japan in the past 24 hours on Friday, May 5, 2023
In the past 24 hours, Japan was shaken by 1 quake of magnitude 6.2, 3 quakes between 5.0 and 6.0, 7 quakes between 4.0 and 5.0, 43 quakes between 3.0 and 4.0, and 39 quakes between 2.0 and 3.0.
QUAKES IN THE PAST 24 HOURS:
- 1 quake above magnitude 6
- 3 quakes between magnitude 5 and 6
- 7 quakes between magnitude 4 and 5
- 43 quakes between magnitude 3 and 4
- 39 quakes between magnitude 2 and 3
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