Wednesday, June 18, 2008

North Japan Quake on 14 Jun 08

A powerful earthquake rocked rural northern Japan last Saturday, killing at least five people, injuring more than 200 and sparking landslides that sliced mountains, destroyed roads and left residents cut off.

The 7.2 magnitude quake struck at 8:43 a.m. (2343 GMT Friday) in Iwate, a sparsely populated, scenic area around 300 km (190 miles) north of Tokyo, where buildings also shook. Even one whole mountain has been leveled in the quake.

More than 160 aftershocks rocked the northern area and officials warned more strong quakes might be in store.

Experts said the energy released by the quake was far less than the magnitude 7.9 earthquake that hit southwestern China on May 12, leaving nearly 87,000 people dead or missing.

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