6.8 magnitude quake jolts Japan (Lead) - WORLD NEWS

6.8 magnitude quake jolts Japan (Lead) - WORLD NEWS

Tokyo, March 14 (IANS) An earthquake measuring 6.8 on the Richter scale Wednesday hit Japan off the east coast of Honshu island, triggering a tsunami alert.

The temblor came three days after the first anniversary of the magnitude-9 earthquake and tsunami that killed thousands in the country, leading to the world’s worst nuclear crisis.

Image Credit: pardaphash.com

According to the Japan Meteorological Agency, Wednesday’s quake hits off Honshu’s east coast at 6.09 p.m.

A tsunami warning was sounded in the coastal areas of Aomori and Iwate prefectures, Xinhua reported. There was no report of damage or casualties.

On March 11, Japan marked the first anniversary of the devastating quake and ensuing tsunami that struck the northeastern coast.

The twin natural disasters claimed more than 15,800 lives, and more than 3,000 people remain missing.
The quake triggered a serious accident at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant.

source: http://www.thaindian.com

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Philippine rescuers search for Negros quake survivors; 43 dead

Philippine rescuers search for Negros quake survivors; 43 dead

MANILA, Philippines - Rescuers were fanning out across the central Philippines Tuesday after a powerful earthquake triggered landslides, collapsed homes and killed dozens of people.

The 6.8-magnitude quake hit a narrow strait between the heavily populated island provinces of Negros and Cebu around lunchtime Monday with more than 200 aftershocks, some nearly as strong, causing further panic throughout the day.

Image Credit: ttp://www.japantoday.com

A total of 43 people were reported killed, but government officials warned the death toll may rise, with dozens of people said to be injured or missing and roads to mountainous areas impassable because of the landslides.

Telephone communications were also cut off, leaving information from remote regions unobtainable.
The worst-hit area appeared to be Guihulngan, a coastal city of 100,000 people in Negros, close to the quake's epicenter, where military authorities said 39 people had been confirmed killed.
Police said most of the victims had died as landslides buried homes, while others died in the earthquake itself.
"Some private homes collapsed along with our court house and parts of the public market. We got people out of the buildings but we could not evacuate the homes," police chief Senior Inspector Alvin Futalan told AFP.

Power outages were said to be widespread in Negros, where bridges and other vital infrastructure had been damaged.

The military commander in Guihulngan, Colonel Francisco Patrimonio, said authorities had had to contend with looting as well as rescue efforts.

"Looting is now rampant in Guihulngan which forced us to commit (more troops) with the Philippine national police," he said Monday.

Cebu, the Philippines' second biggest city with 2.3 million residents and a popular tourist destination, was 50 kilometers (31 miles) from the epicenter and shook violently during the tremor but no deaths were reported in the city.

The Philippines sits on the Pacific "Ring of Fire" -- a belt around the Pacific Ocean where friction between shifting tectonic plates causes frequent earthquakes and volcanic activity.

source: ABS-CBN

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Mild quakes hit Laguna, Marinduque : 23 Dec (Philippines)

Mild quakes hit Laguna, Marinduque : 23 Dec (Philippines)

Acccording to ABS-CBN News Report, two earthquakes hit the provinces of Laguna and Marinduque before dawn Friday, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) said.

The first quake, which has a magnitude of 3.1, occurred 7 kilometers (kms) southeast of Santa Cruz, Laguna at 1:26 a.m. It had a depth of 19 kms.

Image Credit: bcl.wikipedia.org

Intensity 2 was felt at Santa Cruz and Nagcarlan in Laguna; and Lucban in Quezon Province.

At 4:43 a.m., a magnitude 3.1 quake with a depth of 29 kms occurred 50 kilometers southeast of Boac, Marinduque.

No casualty or damage was reported in the two earthquakes, which were both tectonic in origin.

Likewise, no aftershocks are expected.

According to the US Geological Survey, magnitude and intensity measure different characteristics of earthquakes. Magnitude measures the energy released at the source of the earthquake. Intensity measures the strength of shaking produced by the quake at a certain location.

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source: ABS-CBN News

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