An earthquake struck Japan’s western Ishikawa prefecture in the overnight hours on Sunday, Japanese media reported.
The earthquake struck at 9:31 p.m. (6:31 a.m. local time) at the northeastern tip of the Noto Peninsula, at a depth of 14 kilometres, and reached level 5 on the Japanese scale, with a maximum of 7, and was aimed at measuring unrest on the surface and in affected areas.
A few minutes after this quake, a 4.8 magnitude earthquake struck in the same areas where the first tremor occurred, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA).
The JMA said:
“The area has been seismically active for more than three years, including the 7.6 -magnitude earthquake on Jan 1 this year. That is expected to continue for the foreseeable future, so please continue to exercise caution.”
The agency also warned of landslides and rock falls in the region, especially after rain or new earthquakes. The June 3 earthquake triggered smartphone alerts, followed by several smaller aftershocks.
The quakes later continued, with about a dozen quakes with magnitudes ranging from 3.7 to 2.5 recorded around the Noto Peninsula in the following hours, so meteorological services continue to urge caution.
Local authorities told state broadcaster NHK that at least five houses collapsed in the quake-ravaged town of Wajima.
All had already been damaged by a strong quake in the area on January 1, which is believed to be a copy of it today, but so far no casualties have been reported, although they are still gathering information.
