246 injured as quake jolts NE Japan

26 July 2003, 18:00 PM

AFP, Tokyo

Hisashi Matsuda stand next to his destroyed house in Nango, Miyagi prefecture on Saturday. At least 246 people were injured in northeastern Japan early Saturday as strong earthquakes measuring 6.2 and 5.5 on the Richter scale destroyed a number of houses, cut power supplies and caused mudslides, police said. Photo: AFP

More than 246 people were injured in northeastern Japan Saturday as a strong earthquake measuring 6.2 on the Richter scale destroyed a number of houses, cut power supplies and caused mudslides, police and reports said.

None of the injuries were believed to be very serious but the quake, which followed another strong tremor just hours earlier, also cut power to more than 100,000 households and derailed a train.

The second powerful tremor struck around 7:13 am (2213 GMT Friday) with the focus located 12 kilometres (7.4 miles) below sea level and off the coast of northern Miyagi prefecture, some 350 kilometres (220 miles) north of Tokyo.

The earlier quake, measuring 5.5 on the the Richter scale, hit at 12:13 am (1513 GMT), disrupting road and rail traffic.

"I was relatively calm when the first one shook my bed, thinking 'here comes another one'," said Wakako Suzuki, a 29-year-old resident of Ishinomaki City in the prefecture, recalling a quake measuring 7.0 two months ago.