Strong quake hits Japan’s northern island, no tsunami danger

October 5, 2018 - 9:17 AM
5322
An aerial view shows central Sapporo city during blackout after an earthquake hit the area in Sapporo
An aerial view shows central Sapporo city during blackout after an earthquake hit the area in Sapporo, Hokkaido, northern Japan, in this photo taken by Kyodo September 6, 2018. (Kyodo/via REUTERS/File Photo/ JAPAN OUT)

TOKYO — A strong earthquake on Friday jolted the same area of Japan’s northernmost main island of Hokkaido that was hit by one of the country’s most powerful tremors last month.

The quake, which struck at 8:58 a.m., had a preliminary magnitude of 5.3, and measured a ‘weak 5’ on Japan’s quake intensity scale of 1 to 7, with 7 being the strongest, Japanese broadcaster NHK said.

There was no danger of a tsunami from the quake, it said.

The U.S. Geological Survey said the quake, which it measured at 5.2 magnitude, was 42 km deep and centered on Hokkaido’s southern coast.

A magnitude 6.7 quake on Sept. 6 paralyzed Hokkaido, an island the size of Austria, killing dozens, triggering landslides and temporarily knocking power to all 5.3 million of its residents. —Reporting by Chang-Ran Kim; Editing by Michael Perry