21 Injured as Two Big Quakes Shake Northern Japan
TOKYO — Two strong earthquakes with preliminary magnitudes of 6.9 and 6.2 shook northern Japan today, injuring at least 21 people, rattling buildings, bursting pipes and bringing trains to a halt.
The first, stronger quake occurred at 7:38 a.m. and was centered 19 miles below the seabed about 370 miles northeast of Tokyo, the Central Meteorological Agency said.
Four hours later, the smaller quake, with the same epicenter, jolted the region, but no injuries or damage were reported.
The Japan Broadcasting System said 21 people in the northern region were reported injured by falling objects and small fires caused by the larger quake.
Buildings rattled and shook violently. Eight major train lines in the region were brought to a halt, disrupting the journeys of 10,000 travelers, railway officials said.
Underground pipes were damaged, and news reports also showed water gurgling up through cracked asphalt onto streets.
Two people were killed and 233 injured when a 7.5-magnitude quake jolted northern Japan on Dec. 28.
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