Magnitude 6.5 quake hits off coast of Japan, tsunami warning issued (Lead)

March 28th, 2011 - 7:13 am ICT by IANS  

Tokyo, March 28 (IANS) A magnitude 6.5 earthquake hit off the east coast of Japan Monday morning, triggering a local tsunami warning.

According to the US Geological Survey (USGS), the earthquake’s epicentre was some 161 km east- northeast of Japan’s Fukushima prefecture, located in the T?hoku region on the island of Honsh?, and 368 km northeast of Tokyo. It occurred at 7.23 a.m. local time Monday (2223 GMT Sunday), at a depth of 5.9 kilometres, Xinhua reported.

The Japan Meteorological Agency has issued a 50 cm tsunami warning for the Pacific coast of Miyagi prefecture.

On March 11, the Miyagi prefecture and other neighbouring regions in northeastern Japan were struck by a magnitude-9.0 earthquake off the coast and ensuing tsunami, which killed over 10,000 people and caused severe damage and huge property loss.

The toll from the March 11 quake and ensuing tsunami stood at 10,489 Sunday, while 16,621 people were listed as missing, DPA reported police as saying.
The catastrophe also sparked a nuclear leak crisis at a nuclear power plant in Fukushima, which the Japanese government is still trying to contain.

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