Edited time: April 13, 2013 18:01
source
A powerful 6.3-magnitude earthquake shook western Japan, injuring at least 23 people – seven of them seriously – and damaging several houses.
The Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) said the quake hit early on Saturday morning near Awaji Island, just south of Kobe, at a depth of 15 kilometers.
The quake was initially measured at 6.0 on the JMA seismic intensity scale, though the agency later upgraded its magnitude to 6.3. The US Geological Survey measured the earthquake at 6.0 on the Richter scale, saying it struck at a more shallow depth of five kilometers.
No tsunami warning was issued, and the country’s Nuclear Regulation Authority said it has received no reports of problems at nuclear facilities.
Many of those who received more serious injuries were elderly people who tripped while attempting to flee, police said.
An 82-year-old woman in Fukui prefecture broke her leg after falling to the ground, and a 74-year-old woman Hyogo prefecture suffered a broken hip bone, AFP reported.
Japanese TV news footage showed houses with broken rooftop tiles and cracked walls, while some areas of the island underwent soil liquefaction – a common side-effect of strong tremors.
