Magnitude 5.9 quake shakes Tokyo; 17 people injured

By MARI YAMAGUCHI

TOKYO (AP) — A almighty magnitude 5.9 earthquake shook the Tokyo country connected Thursday night, injuring astatine slightest 17 radical and halting trains and subways. Officials said determination was nary large harm oregon information of a tsunami.

The Meteorological Agency said the quake was centered successful Chiba prefecture, conscionable eastbound of Tokyo, astatine a extent of 80 kilometers (48 miles).

It caused buildings to sway and hanging objects specified arsenic signs to plaything violently. Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno said determination were nary abnormalities astatine atomic powerfulness facilities successful the area.

He said a full of 17 radical were injured, including 1 who was earnestly hurt.

He did not picture the injuries of the others, but Chiba prefectural constabulary said 2 women successful abstracted locations sprained their ankles erstwhile they were thrown to the level during the quake. NHK nationalist tv said a commuter bid partially derailed erstwhile it made an exigency stop, causing 3 passengers to autumn and get somewhat injured.

Others were injured successful Kanagawa prefecture, adjacent Tokyo, according to media reports.

Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings said astir 250 homes successful downtown Tokyo temporarily mislaid power.

“Shinkansen” ace explicit trains successful and retired of Tokyo were halted for information checks but aboriginal resumed operation, East Japan Railway Co. said. Tokyo’s Yamanote loop enactment and subways besides restarted.

Outside of Tokyo’s Shinagawa station, wherever section trains were temporarily halted, determination was a agelong enactment of radical trying to get taxis home.

Many elevators automatically stopped, including those astatine Tokyo’s metropolitan authorities building, temporarily trapping immoderate people.

Fire and catastrophe officials said underground h2o pipes were damaged successful dozens of locations successful Tokyo. In 1 district, h2o was gushing from the ground.

New Prime Minister Fumio Kishida posted a connection connected Twitter urging radical to “check the latest accusation and instrumentality enactment to support your lives.” He said it was the strongest shaking successful Tokyo since March 2011.

Kishida returned to his bureau precocious Thursday to pb the government’s response.