A second earthquake of magnitude 6.0 struck parts of Japan’s Hokkaido prefecture on Sunday evening, just hours after tremors of magnitude 5.9 rattled the country’s eastern part, leaving over 30 people injured in Tokyo.
The second earthquake had a depth of 40 kilometres, with its epicentre off the coast of Urakawa in Hokkaido, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA). The quake hit at 10:45pm (local time). Because the tremors’ seismic intensity was 4 on a scale of 7, JMA said, however, no tsunami warning was issued.
The government set up a task force to assess the extent of possible damage, Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi was quoted as saying. In the morning quake, transportation was impacted following the event. Furthermore, some express services operated by Tobu Railway remained halted.
The start of some train services was delayed, while some trains ran at reduced speeds, according to JR East and other operators, as cited by Kyodo News.
