A powerful earthquake struck the island of Hokkaido in northern Japan, according to U.S. and Japanese observatories. It is the latest in a series of strong tremors the country has experienced recently, Agence France-Presse reported.
The Japan Meteorological Agency said that “a magnitude 6.2 earthquake struck southern Hokkaido at a depth of 83 kilometers, after revising its initial estimate of the tremor’s strength from 6.1.”
No tsunami warning was issued, and the U.S. Geological Survey expected damage to be limited given the area’s low population density.
But an official at the Japan Meteorological Agency told reporters that “in areas that experienced strong shaking, the risk of falling rocks and landslides has increased.”
Hours earlier, a magnitude 5.0 earthquake struck at sea hundreds of kilometers south of Hokkaido.
