Several People Injured in Western Japan Earthquake Monday | WeatherBug
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Several People Injured in Western Japan Earthquake Monday

April 9, 2018
By Japan Economic Newswire
A magnitude 6.1 earthquake jolted the western Japan prefecture of Shimane early Monday injuring eight people, local authorities said, as buildings were damaged and water supply to more than 1,000 households was cut off.

In Oda, one of the hardest-hit cities, 224 cases of building damage were confirmed while up to 190 people were evacuated in the aftermath of the 1:32 a.m. quake that registered upper 5 on the Japanese seismic intensity scale of 7.

The quake occurred at a depth of 12 kilometers, hitting the Kinki, Chugoku and Shikoku regions in western Japan, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency.

Among the eight, four people were injured in Oda, including a 17-year-old boy who fell from his bed at home, local officials said. A woman in her 80s in the adjacent city of Izumo suffered a broken bone in her leg, while a male foreign tourist sustained minor knee injuries in Okuizumo.

A Self-Defense Forces unit has been dispatched to assist with water supply in the area following a request by the prefectural government.

No abnormalities were detected at the Shimane nuclear power plant, its operator Chugoku Electric Power Co. said.

Isamu Yamashita, an 81-year-old man who evacuated to an elementary school in Oda, said, "When the quake hit, I couldn't stand on my own and had to hold on to a column. I still cannot return home because I am scared of possible aftershocks."

A hospital in the city was forced to stop most of its outpatient services after a pipe in a water storage tank was damaged. The hospital received emergency water supply from the city to serve its inpatients.

West Japan Railway Co. halted some express trains in the region while road traffic was disrupted in some areas due to cracks and falling rocks.

==Kyodo
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Story Image: A rock sits on the ground near a house, following a landslide caused by the earthquake in Ohda, Shimane prefecture, western Japan, Monday, April 9, 2018. A strong earthquake in western Japan has cracked streets, cut water and power to a number of homes and caused slight injuries to five people. The Meteorological Agency said the magnitude 6.1 quake struck early Monday 12 kilometers (7 miles) underground near Ohda city, about 800 kilometers (480 miles) west of Tokyo. (Kyodo News via AP)