Tokyo, April 16: An earthquake measuring 5.8 on the Richter Scale has struck central Japan as the country struggles to break free from last month’s catastrophic quake and tsunami woes.
The quake, which occurred on Saturday morning at 11:19 a.m. local time (0219 GMT) with its focus in Tochiigi Prefecture, shook buildings in the capital Tokyo. There were no immediate reports of casualties or damage to properties, and no tsunami warning has been issued,
On March 11, Japan was hit by a 9-magnitude earthquake, followed by a devastating tsunami that ravaged through the country’s northeastern coast.
The tremor set off a string of nuclear problems by knocking out power to cooling systems at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant on the northeast coast.
Japan has not been able to bring the nuclear crisis at the Fukushima plant under control, since water filling the reactor buildings is hampering restoration work.
Nearly 140,000 people are still living in shelters after losing their homes or being advised to evacuate because of concerns about radiation,
Meanwhile, the operator of the power plant, Tokyo Electric Power Co (TEPCO), has announced that Saturday’s earthquake did not cause serious disruption for emergency crews who are working to cool crippled reactors at the Daiichi nuclear plant.
On Friday, Japan’s government ordered TEPCO to deliver financial aid to thousands of people made homeless by the devastating tsunami and quake.
According to the National Police Agency, the number of those killed or missing from March 11 twin disasters now stands at over 28,000.
—Agencies