Tokyo earthquake rattled by strongest quake since 2011

Tokyo earthquake: There are no initial reports of major damage after a magnitude 6.0 quake struck south of Tokyo. It was the strongest earthquake since the 9.0 quake in March 2011.

 A strong earthquake jolted Tokyo early Monday, rattling windows and nerves, though there were no initial reports major damage and few injuries.

The Japan Meteorological Agency said the quake at 5:18 a.m. local time (2018 GMT Sunday) had a magnitude of 6.0 and was centered 160 kilometers (99 miles) under the seabed near Izu Oshima island south of Tokyo.

The quake was felt across a wide area of Japan, with the strongest shaking registered in central Tokyo, the agency reported. The Tokyo Fire Department reported that four people were injured, but details were not immediately available.

The national broadcaster NHK said it was the strongest quake felt in the Japanese capital since the aftershocks of a magnitude-9 earthquake and tsunami in March 2011 off the northeastern coast that left more than 18,500 people dead or missing.

There were no reports of damage or other abnormalities from the Fukushima Dai-Ichi nuclear plant, which was crippled in the 2011 disasters, leading to the closures of all Japan's nuclear reactors for safety checks.

NHK reported some delays in train services Monday and said speed restrictions were imposed on expressways in the affected area as a precaution.

Elsewhere in the Pacific, Reuters reported a magnitude 6.6 earthquake struck in the Pacific Ocean on Sunday deep in the ocean about 328 miles (525 km) south of Suva, Fiji, the U.S. Geological Survey said.

The USGS initially estimated the earthquake 6.8 magnitude and revised that to 6.6. It reported a second earthquake of magnitude 6.1 about 10 minutes later, further south.

The second earthquake was 379 miles (606 km) deep, USGS said. No tsunami warning was issued by the Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre.

On Saturday, a series of small earthquakes and aftershocks has rattled northern Alaska.

The earthquakes, several dozen miles northeast of the 500-strong community of Noatak, were recorded early on Saturday morning.

They ranged in magnitude from 4.0 to 5.5.

Officials with the Alaska Earthquake Information Center said the earthquakes are unusual, because the region isn't a seismically active part of Alaska.

The center said it did not receive any reports of major structural damage from the affected area, other than cracks in building walls. No injuries or casualties were reported.

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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