UPDATE - 1 killed, 161 injured in Japan earthquake, says government official

REVISES DEATH TOLL; ADDS COMMENTS BY TOP GOVERNMENT SPOKESMAN

By Riyaz ul Khaliq

ISTANBUL (AA) – A top government official on Thursday revised down the death toll from a high-intensity earthquake that hit Japan on Wednesday night.

Hirokazu Matsuno, chief Cabinet secretary of the Japanese government, told a news conference that only one person died due to the earthquake in the country.

“Earlier, I had said four persons died but after further investigation, I am now revising the death toll as only person died to the earthquake,” Matsuno said.

He added other 161 persons were injured due to the tremor.

The sole death was reported in the Miyagi province.

Matsuno added: “There have been no problems with safety at nuclear power plants in the quake-hit areas.”

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.

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.