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Japan rocked by major earthquake Japan rocked by major earthquake
(about 2 hours later)
A strong earthquake in north-western Japan has killed at least three people and injured more than 150. An earthquake has struck central Japan, killing at least five people, flattening buildings and triggering a fire at a nuclear power plant.
The quake of preliminary magnitude 6.8 struck off the coast of Niigata, some 260km (160 miles) north-west of Tokyo, Japan's meteorological agency says. Hundreds of people were injured when the 6.8-magnitude tremor struck the Niigata area.
A number of houses were damaged, and a fire started at the Kashiwazaki nuclear plant. But officials said there was no risk of a radiation leak. The fire at the nuclear plant has been extinguished, and there was no release of radiation or damage to the reactors, officials said.
Waves up to 50cm (20 inches) high were reported to have hit the coast. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has flown to the affected region.
The tremor also swayed buildings in Tokyo. He cut short a trip to the south-western city of Nagasaki, where he was campaigning ahead of forthcoming upper house elections.
'I was so scared' The five deaths all took place in the city of Kashiwazaki.
The earthquake hit the country at 0113 GMT, the meteorological agency says. The epicentre was about 60km (37 miles) south-west of Niigata. class="" href="/1/hi/in_pictures/6900355.stm">In pictures: Japan quake Four women and a man - all in their 70s and 80s - died after being crushed when buildings collapsed on them, said Takashi Morita, a spokesman for the National Police Agency in Tokyo.
Some wooden buildings in the Niigata area collapsed, injuring and trapping more than 100 people, Japan's media said. City official Takashi Otsuka said about 2,000 people had been evacuated from their homes, while tens of thousands are reported to have no power or running water.
Black smoke was seen billowing from the Kashiwazaki nuclear power station, after a fire started at an electricity transformer building. Older buildings, many of them with wooden walls and heavy tile roofs, appear to have suffered the most damage in the earthquake, which also cracked roads and buckled bridges.
But the reactor - like several others - shut down automatically, and there was said to be no risk of any radiation leak. The region has subsequently suffered several strong aftershocks.
One of the worst-hit areas appears to be the city of Kashiwazaki - close to the quake's epicentre. Clouds of black smoke poured from the Kashiwazaki nuclear plant, which automatically shut down during the quake.
"I was so scared - the violent shaking went on for 20 seconds. I almost fainted through fear of the shaking," local resident Ritei Wakatsuki told the Associated Press news agency. Motoyasu Tamaki, a Tokyo Electric Power Company official, said the fire had occurred in an electrical transformer.
Water and gas was cut off to the city's 35,000 households, and in Niigata 27,000 houses were without power. Hospital officials said about 300 people had been brought in for treatment of injuries including broken bones, cuts and bruises, they added.
A fire started in a building at the Kashiwazaki reactor 'Violent shaking'
A tsunami warning was issued, but it was later lifted. Masao Honma, a police officer in Kashiwazaki, described the moment the earthquake hit.
In Tokyo, buildings swayed and bullet train services were briefly suspended. Japan is in one of the world's most seismically active areas"It was too strong to stand," he told Reuters news agency. "Some people got under tables, others immediately went outside."
The government has set up a crisis management headquarters to deal with the impact of the tremor. Resident Ritei Wakatsuki told the Associated Press news agency: "I was so scared - the violent shaking went on for 20 seconds. I almost fainted through fear of the shaking."
Skyscrapers swayed in Tokyo, more than 200km (125 miles), from the earthquake's epicentre in the Sea of Japan.
Earthquakes are common in Japan, which is situated in one of the world's most seismically active areas, and the country regularly holds safety drills.Earthquakes are common in Japan, which is situated in one of the world's most seismically active areas, and the country regularly holds safety drills.
In October 2004, an earthquake with a magnitude of 6.8 struck Niigata, killing 65 people, and in 1995 a magnitude 7.2 tremor killed more than 6,400 in Kobe. Three years ago, an earthquake in the same area left 65 people dead.
In 1995, a magnitude 7.3 tremor hit the city of Kobe, killing more than 6,400 people.
Do you live in north-western Japan? Have you been affected by the earthquake? Please send us your comments and photos. Do you live in the area? Have you been affected by the earthquake? Please send us your comments and photos.
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