Earthquake of magnitude 6 rocks Japan

Tokyo, June 03: An earthquake of magnitude 6 struck Japan's Noto region in the central prefecture of Ishikawa early on Monday, according to the latest reports of the country's weather agency.

The temblor occurred at 6:31 a.m. (local time) at a depth of 14 km, measuring upper-6 on the Japanese seismic intensity scale of 7 in parts of the prefecture, said Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA).

The epicentre was located at a latitude of 37.5 degrees north and a longitude of 137.3 degrees east, reports Xinhua news agency.

According to JMA, there may be some changes to the tide levels but there is no threat of tsunami damage.

Following the quake, a series of shallow-depth temblors hit the region, including a 4.8 magnitude quake off the Noto peninsula at 6:40 a.m. (local time).

On January 1, a series of strong quakes of up to 7.6 magnitude rattled the Noto region and its vicinity and triggered a tsunami.

The devastating earthquake killed 260 people, injured 1,433 people, and damaged more than 75,000 homes, while over 3,300 people are still living at evacuation shelters, as per the latest official data.

According to local police, Monday's quake led to collapse of five houses in Wajima, one of the worst affected cities in the New Year's quake.

Two were injured due to the quake in the vicinity, with an elderly woman in Wajima falling off the bed and breaking her leg and another young man suffering injuries during the evacuation.

With temblors strongly felt in the region, many are worried again about the aftermath of the Noto peninsula earthquake.

"Everyone is worried about whether the back mountain will collapse, but we have no choice but to work while dealing with the earthquake," said a 64-year-old resident from Wajima city.

No abnormalities were detected at the Shika nuclear power plant in Ishikawa or the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power plant in the nearby prefecture of Niigata, according to major power companies.

Following the quake, services of the Joetsu and Hokuriku shinkansen bullet trains were temporarily suspended, according to East Japan Railway Co.