Tokyo/Caracas. Parts of Japan and Venezuela were shaken by strong earthquakes on Thursday morning. A massive earthquake of magnitude 6.9 was felt in north-eastern Japan on Thursday morning, while Venezuela was hit by two major earthquakes within minutes. According to the Japan Meteorological Agency, the earthquake struck near the Pacific coast of Iwate Prefecture at about 7:30 a.m. local time and its epicenter was 50 kilometers below the ground. According to local media reports, officials said there was no threat of a tsunami. On Japan’s seven-level seismic intensity scale, Hashikami in Aomori Prefecture recorded ‘Upper 6’ and Hachinohe ‘Lower 6’, the agency said. Also, tremors of ‘Upper 5’ intensity were felt in Sannohe in Aomori Prefecture and Morioka in Iwate Prefecture and several other areas.
According to Kyodo News report, strong tremors were felt in Miyagi, Hokkaido, Akita, Yamagata and Fukushima prefectures, while the impact of the earthquake was also seen in the capital Tokyo and surrounding areas.
The agency said that during tremors of ‘Upper 6’ intensity, it becomes almost impossible for people to stand or walk normally and they may have to crawl. The agency also said that in an earthquake of this level, most of the unsecured furniture could move from its place and many objects could fall.
Railway services were also affected after the earthquake. East Japan Railway Company (JR East) temporarily suspended operation of the Tohoku Shinkansen Bullet Train between Sendai and Shin-Aomori stations as a precaution during a safety investigation.
Meanwhile, two major earthquakes struck Venezuela within a minute, raising fears of loss of life and property and large-scale devastation. According to reports, these tremors caused buildings to collapse in the capital Caracas.
The US Geological Survey (USGS) reported an earthquake of 7.1 magnitude, followed by an even stronger tremor of 7.5 magnitude just a minute later, Xinhua news agency reported. Both earthquakes occurred near the coastal city of Moron, located about 160 kilometers west of Caracas.
The epicenter of the earthquake was at a depth of only 10 kilometers from the ground, due to which the impact of the devastation could be even greater. USGS has said that there is a possibility of huge loss of life and property after these two earthquakes.
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