Tokyo Jolted by Its Biggest Quake Since 2011

No major damage; hours later, another quake hits Burma, Thailand
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted May 4, 2014 11:16 PM CDT
Updated May 5, 2014 8:04 AM CDT
Strong Quake Jolts Tokyo
An aerial view of the city's Ikebukuro district.   (Shutterstock)

A strong earthquake jolted Tokyo early today, rattling windows and nerves though there were no initial reports of major damage. The national broadcaster NHK, citing local authorities, said 17 people were reported injured, some of them from falls as the quake struck. The Japan Meteorological Agency said the quake had a magnitude of 6.0 and was centered 99 miles under the seabed near Izu Oshima island, south of Tokyo.

NHK said it was the strongest quake felt in the Japanese capital since the aftershocks of a magnitude-9 earthquake and tsunami in March 2011 off the northeastern coast that left more than 18,500 people dead or missing. There were no reports of damage or other abnormalities from the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear plant, which was crippled in the 2011 disasters. Some 15 hours later, a quake of the same magnitude struck in northern Thailand and Burma, its epicenter about six miles south of Mae Lao, Thailand. Again no major damage has been reported—so far the AP's story says only that it "caused curtains to sway" in Bangkok. (More earthquake stories.)

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