Japan earthquake kills 2, injures at least 160 people

By Riyaz ul Khaliq

ISTANBUL (AA) – At least two people were killed and dozens injured in a powerful earthquake that hit Japan on Wednesday night, triggering a tsunami warning.

A magnitude 7.3 earthquake rocked northeastern Japan at 11.36 p.m. local time (1436GMT) on Wednesday, according to the Japan Meteorology Agency.

The quake occurred off the coast of the Fukushima province, 60 kilometers (37 miles) below the surface.

The agency issued a tsunami warning after the earthquake and warned people of quakes of a similar scale in hard-hit areas for the next week.

Around 160 people were injured due to the earthquake while a bullet train was derailed from its track.

Japan’s Fire and Disaster Management Agency said the injuries were reported from 12 provinces of the country along with two deaths from the Miyagi and Fukushima provinces, the areas hit hardest by the quake, Kyodo News reported.

“We will take all possible measures to respond (to the disaster),” Prime Minister Fumio Kishida told the parliament early Thursday.

Also, Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno said: “There have been no problems with safety at nuclear power plants in the quake-hit areas.”