TOKYO: A strong earthquake rocked Fukui Prefecture, central Japan, on Friday morning, measuring as high as lower 5, the fifth-highest level on the Japanese seismic intensity scale, in the city of Sakai. 

The earthquake occurred at a depth of about 10 kilometers in the northern part of the prefecture at around 9:10 a.m. (12:10 a.m. GMT), with an estimated magnitude of 5.0, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency.

It was not powerful enough to trigger a tsunami, and there are no fears of a tsunami following the earthquake, the agency said.

No abnormalities were reported at the nuclear energy facilities in the prefecture, including Kansai Electric Power Co.’s Mihama, Takahama and Oi plants, according to the Nuclear Regulation Authority and other sources.

A total of two people in the cities of Sakai and Fukui suffered slight injuries, local authorities said.

Another earthquake happened in the same region at around 9:30 a.m., registering 3 on the intensity scale in Sakai and Fukui.

At a press conference, Takashi Kato, head of the meteorological agency’s earthquake and tsunami monitoring division, warned that earthquakes with intensity levels of up to around lower 5 may occur in areas nearby over the next week or so.

JIJI PRESS