Portable Planet

Japanese officials say a strong earthquake off the coast of central Japan has killed at least one person and injured 150 others.

The six-point-nine magnitude quake struck at 9:42 am local time Sunday (0042 UTC) in the Sea of Japan, off the northern coast of Honshu island.

Most of the injured were in Ishikawa prefecture, where more than 20 buildings collapsed and roads were blocked by landslides.

A woman was killed by a falling stone lantern in the city of Wajima, which was hardest hit by the quake. Japanese authorities briefly issued a tsunami alert but canceled it when only small waves arrived on shore.

At around the same time, two strong earthquakes shook the Pacific island nation of Vanuatu. There were no reports of injuries or damage there.

The first quake had a magnitude of seven-point-three, followed 28 minutes later by a seven-point-one magnitude quake centered on about the same spot.

Some information for this report was provided by AFP, AP and Reuters.

Source: VOA