Earthquake: Japan shaken again in the Northeast

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Today, a new magnitude 7.1 earthquake rocked northeastern Japan, a region already devastated by the earthquake that struck just a month ago. Fortunately, the Fukushima nuclear power plant suffered no further damage. However, there remains a risk that a tidal wave of up to two meters could hit the Myagi coast.

According to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), the earthquake occurred at 11:32 p.m. (2:32 p.m. GMT) at a depth of 49 kilometers (30 miles). Its epicenter was located in the Pacific Ocean, 66 kilometers (41 miles) east of the city of Sendai (Miyagi Prefecture). No deaths were reported by police, who listed only seven injured, two of whom were in serious condition, according to public broadcaster NHK.

Nearly four weeks after the magnitude 9 earthquake and massive tsunami devastated the Pacific coast northeast of Tokyo, leaving more than 27,000 people dead or missing, the crisis at Fukushima Daiichi (No. 1) is far from over. White smoke (possibly radioactive water vapor) has been observed billowing from three of the four damaged reactors. As a precaution, the Japanese government is now considering expanding the evacuation zone currently set at a 20-km radius around the plant, and the risk of marine contamination has not yet been ruled out.
Source: AFP