An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.0 struck the Noto Peninsula in Ishikawa Prefecture, central Japan, early Monday, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency. The quake hit the same region that experienced significant damage from a powerful earthquake on New Year's Day. No tsunami warning was issued.
The earthquake occurred at 6:31 a.m. at a depth of approximately 10 kilometers, registering an upper 5 on the Japanese seismic intensity scale of 7 in the cities of Wajima and Suzu. Initially recorded as a magnitude 5.9, it was later updated to 6.0.
A second quake with a magnitude of 4.8 followed at 6:40 a.m. in the Noto area, registering a 4 in Suzu.
Several houses in Wajima, Ishikawa Prefecture, collapsed due to the earthquake. (Kyodo)
Five houses collapsed in Wajima, one of the hardest-hit cities from the magnitude 7.6 earthquake on January 1, which killed 260 people and left over 3,000 in evacuation shelters, according to the Ishikawa prefectural government. The Japan Meteorological Agency indicated that the latest seismic activity is linked to the January 1 quake and warned of the potential for additional quakes with a seismic intensity of around an upper 5 for about a week.
No tsunami warning was issued, but minor changes in sea levels were observed near cities including Suzu. In Tsubata, Ishikawa, a woman in her 60s broke her right leg after falling from her bed due to an earthquake alert. A man in his 20s in Namerikawa, Toyama Prefecture, sustained head and hip injuries while trying to evacuate, according to local government and firefighters.
Hokuriku Electric Power Co. and Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc. reported no abnormalities at the Shika nuclear power plant in Ishikawa or the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power plant in nearby Niigata Prefecture.
East Japan Railway Co. temporarily suspended services of the Joetsu and Hokuriku shinkansen bullet trains following the quake.
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