Earthquakes in north-central Japan destroyed five homes damaged by the catastrophic January quake.
Earthquakes rocked Japan’s north-central area of Ishikawa early Monday, which was still rebuilding from the devastation inflicted by a massive quake on Jan. 1, but the current shaking caused no significant damage.
A magnitude 5.9 earthquake struck the northern tip of the Noto Peninsula minutes later, followed by a magnitude 4.8 and other lesser quakes during the following two hours, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency. There were no tsunamis.
Five houses damaged by the Jan. 1 earthquake fell in Wajiima city, but no serious damage or life-threatening injuries were recorded, according to Ishikawa prefecture.
A seismic alert in the town of Tsubata, approximately 100 kilometers (60 miles) southwest of the epicenter, caused a resident in her 60s to fall from her bed, but the injury was not life-threatening, according to prefectural officials.
Satoshi Harada, a JMA seismology and tsunami official, said Monday’s quakes were considered to be aftershocks from the magnitude 7.6 earthquake on January 1. Seismic activity has already lessened, but Harada encouraged residents to exercise caution, particularly near damaged structures.
Shinkansen super-express trains and other rail services were momentarily halted for safety inspections, but the majority of them have restarted, according to the West Japan Railway Company.
The Nuclear Regulation Authority stated that no irregularities were discovered at two adjacent nuclear power facilities. One of them, the Shika facility on the Noto Peninsula, sustained minor damage, but officials claimed it had no impact on the cooling operations of the two reactors.
Hokuriku Electric Power Co. reported no power interruptions.
The rattlings on Monday sparked panic among locals who are still dealing with the aftermath of the New Year’s earthquake. NHK public television showed a lot of people coming out of their houses and temporary shelters to see whether there was any further damage.
“Many people who have been living in evacuation centers must have been scared,” Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi said, recommending vigilance against potential falling boulders and landslides in places that have been shook severely.
Reconstruction is delayed in the peninsula’s hilly parts, and many damaged homes remain unrepaired.
In Wajima, one of the hardest-hit districts, an inn operator told NHK that when the first quake struck Monday, he instantly hid behind the reception counter. Nothing fell to the floor or shattered, but it reminded him of the January shakings and made him concerned that a large quake like that may happen even five months later.
According to the FDMA, the January 1 earthquake killed 260 individuals, including those who died subsequently from stress, diseases, and other quake-related causes, with three others still missing. More than 3,300 residents have been evacuated as a result of the ongoing damage.
