Over 100 Injured in Strong Earthquake off Fukushima Coast... House Collapses and Landslides Occur

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Chun-han] More than 100 people have been reported injured due to a magnitude 7.3 earthquake that occurred off the coast of Fukushima Prefecture, Japan.

According to local public broadcaster NHK on the 14th, fire authorities in each region confirmed that 102 people were injured in the Tohoku region of Japan, including Fukushima Prefecture and Miyagi Prefecture, due to the earthquake the previous day. Most damage reports were concentrated in Fukushima and Miyagi Prefectures, with notable cases of injuries caused by falling or toppled furniture.

In Fukushima Prefecture, a woman in her 60s living in Koriyama City fell on the stairs at home and suffered a fracture, and in Shirakawa City, an elderly woman in her 80s was injured by falling furniture, with a total of 54 injury reports. In Miyagi Prefecture, an elderly man in his 80s living in Ishinomaki City fell at home and had a head injury with bleeding, and an elderly woman in her 80s in Higashimatsushima City was injured in the shoulder after falling from a bed, with 38 people injured in total. Photos and videos reported by Kyodo News and NHK showed that in Fukushima Prefecture, landslides blocked roads and some houses collapsed.

In Miyagi Prefecture, a fire also broke out in an apartment building. It is difficult to rule out the possibility of an increase in casualties. The earthquake is also affecting the operation of infrastructure. JR East suspended the operation of the Shinkansen high-speed train between Nasushiobara City in Tochigi Prefecture and Morioka City in Iwate Prefecture.

Due to the earthquake, more than 900,000 households experienced power outages, including 830,000 households in nine metropolitan municipalities mainly supplied by Tokyo Electric Power Company and 91,000 households in Iwate, Miyagi, Fukushima, and Niigata Prefectures served by Tohoku Electric Power Company. Kyodo News reported that power outages in the Tokyo Electric Power Company area were resolved by the morning of the 14th. In various parts of Fukushima Prefecture, water supply was cut off, and authorities are providing emergency water supply.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.