Earthquake strikes Japan twice within a span of 10 minutes

Two earthquakes struck central Japan within a span of 10 minutes, reports Arab News.

A strong magnitude 5.9 earthquake shook central Japan on Monday but there was no tsunami warning, the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) said.

The shallow jolt, which hit at 6:31 am (2131 GMT), was centered in the Noto Peninsula, where a devastating quake on January 1 killed more than 230 people.

Local officials said there were no immediate reports of damage but they were still collecting information, public broadcaster NHK reported.

Monday morning’s earthquake was followed around 10 minutes later by a second, smaller magnitude-4.8 shake in the same area, the JMA said.

The operator of the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear plant in the region said it had suspended operations to check for damage, according to NHK.

The broadcaster warned that many buildings in the coastal Sea of Japan region might have been previously damaged in the powerful January earthquake and its aftershocks.

The January 1 quake destroyed and toppled buildings, caused fires and knocked out infrastructure on the Noto Peninsula just as families were celebrating New Year’s Day.