Green | March 11, 2011 | 0 comments

8.8 quake jolts east Japan, tsunami warning - Times LIVE

An earthquake measuring 8.8 struck off the northeast coast of Japan, shaking buildings in the capital Tokyo and triggering a 6-metre tsunami warning, reports NHK television and witnesses.

The public broadcaster showed black smoke billowing from a building in Odaiba, a Tokyo suburb, and bullet trains to the north of the country have been halted.

NHK said a tsunami of 50 cm had hit Japan’s northern coast.

The US Geological Survey verified a magnitude of 7.9 at depth of 15.1 miles and located the quake 81 miles east of Sendai, Honshu. The stock market extended its losses after the quake was announced.

Japan’s northeast Pacific coast, called Sanriku, has suffered from quakes and tsunamis in the past and a 7.2 quake struck on Wednesday. In 1933, a magnitude 8.1 quake in the area killed more than 3,000 people. Last year, fishing facilities were damaged after by a tsunami caused by a strong tremor in Chile.

Earthquakes are common in Japan, one of the world’s most seismically active areas. The country accounts for about 20% of the world’s earthquakes of magnitude six or greater.

http://www.timeslive.co.za/world/article961895.ece/8.8-quake-jolts-east-Japan-ts...
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