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Number of people injured in Japanese earthquake rises to 124

14 February 2021 11:00 (UTC +04:00)

The number of people who were injured as a result of the 7.3-magnitude earthquake that struck Japan on Saturday has reached 124, the Japanese public television said on Sunday, APA reports.

Earlier reports said 103 people were injured. The majority of casualties were reported in the prefectures of Miyagi and Fukushima on the eastern coast of Japan’s largest island of Honshu, which bore the brunt of the disaster. Most of the victims were diagnosed with bruises and blunt traumas sustained during falls.

Meanwhile, Tokyo Electric Power (TEPCO), a Japanese electric utility holding company operating in the quake-hit area, said that as a result of the earthquake, a small amount of water spilled from pools storing spent nuclear fuel at Units 5 and 6 of the Fukushima-1 nuclear power plant.

The amount of water was insignificant and caused no serious changes in background radiation levels at the plant. It posed no threat to safety of Japan’s nuclear facilities. Earlier, Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Katsunobu Kato said the country’s nuclear facilities had sustained no damage in the disaster.

A powerful earthquake was registered in the Pacific Ocean, off Japan’s Fukushima prefecture at 23:08 local time (17:08 Moscow time). It was initially estimated as a 7.1-magnitude earthquake, but later the figure was revised to 7.3. Shaking was felt in at least ten Japanese regions in northern, northeastern and central parts of the Honshu island, including Fukushima, Miyagi and the Tokyo area. At least 20 powerful aftershocks were registered in the wake of the disaster. Some scientists suggest that Saturday’s quake was a follow-up of the devastating 9.0-magnitude earthquake that occurred at approximately the same area ten years ago, on March 11, 2011, causing a powerful tsunami and a nuclear meltdown at the Fukushima-1 NPP.

Although tremors have ceased by now, scientists warn that more aftershocks might still follow. Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga told reporters the disaster had caused no major damage, but called upon local residents to get ready for aftershocks.