TOKYO: A magnitude 5.9 earthquake struck the Japanese central Kanto region around 2:00 AM on August 23, with an epicenter located in southern Ibaraki Prefecture, north of Tokyo, at a depth of 70km.

Northern and southern Ibaraki prefecture, southern Saitamaprefecture,northwestern Chibaprefectureand all 23 wards of Tokyo felt the strongest tremors, with buildings in the capital swaying for a few tense seconds. As alarms blared from mobile phones, residents were alerted to the sudden quake.

Seismic intensity 4 tremors were observed across a broad area, including theprefectures near Tokyo such asFukushima, southern Tochigi, southern Gunma, northern Saitama, northeastern and southern Chiba, eastern Tama in Tokyo, and both eastern and western Kanagawa Prefecture.

At least 37 people were injured in five prefectures in the region — 15 in Tokyo, nine in Saitama, eight in Kanagawa, four in Chiba and one in Ibaraki — according to prefectural officials and the Fire and Disaster Management Agency.

Most of the injured were hurt when they fell down or hit themselves against furniture or doors as they were caught off guard by the quake while sleeping and got out of bed in a panic, officials said.

Among them was a woman in her 80s who fell off the bed and suffered a serious hip injury in Yokohama, in the Kanagawa prefecture, the Yomiuri newspaper reported.

The quake caused delays to express trains serving Tokyo and Narita Airport and other local trains serving northeastern regions, but Shinkansen bullet trains were running normally, their operator East Japan Raiway Co. said.

Authorities have confirmed there is no tsunami risk but advised residents to remain calm, assess their surroundings, and take precautions to prevent injury.

“Ensure all fire sources are extinguished. Please watch for potential hazards such as rockfalls, landslides, and road cracks. Given recent rainfall in Chiba, ground conditions may be unstable, so please exercise extra caution in these areas and stay away from known hazards,” authoritiesadvisedvia the NHK national channel.

Last month, a magnitude 7.1 quake struck the Kumamoto area on Japan’s southernmost island of Kyushu, killing 38 people and injuring 364.

With AFP