5.9 Magnitude Earthquake Injures 37 Near Tokyo
Strong Quake Strikes Near Tokyo
A magnitude 5.9 earthquake struck near Tokyo early Sunday, injuring at least 37 people and disrupting travel in the bustling megacity. [3] The quake caused violent shaking in the Japanese capital and its surrounding areas, prompting the nation's warning systems to sound public announcements and sirens in the streets and lighting up smartphones with notices in affected areas. [3] The quake struck the southern part of the Ibaraki Prefecture near Tokyo at 2 a.m. local time, the Japan Meteorological Agency said. [3] There were no concerns about a tsunami, the agency said, adding that the earthquake's depth was 68 km. [3] The US Geological Survey estimated the strength at magnitude 5.8. [3] A temblor of magnitude preliminar 5.9 golpeó la prefectura de Ibaraki, al noreste de Tokio, durante la madrugada del sábado. [4] No se activó alerta de tsunami. [4] Un sismo de magnitud preliminar de 5.9 ocurrió en la prefectura de Ibaraki, al noreste de Tokio, informó el domingo la Agencia Meteorológica de Japón. [5] El temblor se sintió fuertemente en la capital de Japón. [5]
Injuries and Structural Damage
Japan's Fire and Disaster Management Agency said that at least 37 people had suffered minor injuries. [3] The worst case was that of a woman in her 80s in Yokohama, south of Tokyo, who tried to leave her bed after the quake but fell and hurt her hip, according to the local government and media reports. [3] A building in Saitama, north of Tokyo, also suffered minor damage, according to the Fire and Disaster Management Agency. [3] Por el momento no se informaron víctimas ni daños materiales de consideración. [4] The late-night quake disrupted regional train services in Tokyo on Sunday morning, according to East Japan Railway Company. [3] Authorities are investigating if a water main that ruptured in a neighbourhood in the capital was related to the quake, Kyodo News said. [3]
Disruptions to Transport and Infrastructure
The late-night quake disrupted regional train services in Tokyo on Sunday morning, according to East Japan Railway Company. [3] Authorities are investigating if a water main that ruptured in a neighbourhood in the capital was related to the quake, Kyodo News said. [3] The quake struck the southern part of the Ibaraki Prefecture near Tokyo at 2 a.m. local time, the Japan Meteorological Agency said. [3] El sismo ocurrió alrededor de las 02:00 hora local (17:00 GMT) y tuvo una profundidad de 70 kilómetros. [4] El temblor se sintió fuertemente en la capital de Japón. [5] El sismo alcanzó el nivel 5 de una escala de 7 utilizada en Japón para medir la intensidad sísmica local. [4]
Official Warnings Issued
The weather agency warned of an increased risk of landslides in the area as the quake could have loosened soil in the region, which was lashed by torrential downpours on Saturday. [3] The agency also warned of the possibility of strong aftershocks in the days ahead. [3] Las autoridades japonesas descartaron la posibilidad de un maremoto tras el sismo. [4] La Agencia Meteorológica de Japón confirmó que no fue activada ninguna alerta de tsunami en las costas cercanas al epicentro ni en otras regiones del país. [4] No fue activada la alerta de tsunami. [5] The quake caused violent shaking in the Japanese capital and its surrounding areas, prompting the nation's warning systems to sound public announcements and sirens in the streets and lighting up smartphones with notices in affected areas. [3]
Seismic Context and Measurements
The quake struck the southern part of the Ibaraki Prefecture near Tokyo at 2 a.m. local time, the Japan Meteorological Agency said. [3] There were no concerns about a tsunami, the agency said, adding that the earthquake's depth was 68 km. [3] The US Geological Survey estimated the strength at magnitude 5.8. [3] El sismo alcanzó el nivel 5 de una escala de 7 utilizada en Japón para medir la intensidad sísmica local. Este nivel se sintió en las prefecturas de Ibaraki, Saitama y Chiba, además del distrito de Adachi, en Tokio, según precisó la agencia meteorológica nipona. [4] Ubicación del epicentro El epicentro del movimiento fue localizado en las coordenadas 36 grados de latitud norte y 140,1 grados de longitud este, una zona con antecedentes de actividad sísmica frecuente debido a la ubicación de Japón sobre el denominado Cinturón de Fuego del Pacífico. [4] El sismo ocurrió alrededor de las 02:00 hora local (17:00 GMT), a una profundidad de 70 kilómetros y alcanzó el nivel 5 de los 7 en la escala de intensidad sísmica japonesa en las zonas de las prefecturas de Ibaraki, Saitama, Chiba, así como en el distrito de Adachi, de Tokio, explicó la agencia meteorológica. [5] El epicentro del temblor fue ubicado a 36 grados de latitud norte y 140,1 grados de longitud este. [5] Japan is one of the countries with greatest seismic activity due to its location at the convergence point of several tectonic plates. [4] The monitoring and early warning systems developed by the country allow detection and rapid communication of these events to the population. [4]
What to watch next: The Japan Meteorological Agency warned of an increased risk of landslides in the area as the quake could have loosened soil in the region, which was lashed by torrential downpours on Saturday, and also warned of the possibility of strong aftershocks in the days ahead. [3]
