Magnitude 6.9 earthquake shakes southern Japan, tsunami warning issued

Strong earthquake, tsunami warning in south Japan

TOKYO — A magnitude 6.9 earthquake hit off Japan’s southern coast early Saturday, shaking Okinawa and nearby islands, where a tsunami warning was briefly issued, Japan’s Meteorological Agency said.

The quake occurred off the coast of the island of Okinawa at a depth of 6.2 miles (10 kilometers) at 5:31 a.m. Saturday (2031 GMT Friday), the agency said.

There have been no reports of major damage or casualties so far, except for reports of ruptured water pipes in two locations, Okinawa police official Noritomi Kikuzato said.

The Meteorological Agency had initially predicted a tsunami up to 6 feet (2 meters) near the Okinawan coast, warning nearby residents to stay away from the coastline. The agency later lifted the warning within two hours after observing only a small swelling of tide.

Ryota Ueno, a town official in the Nishihara district of Okinawa, said, “I was fast asleep when the quake hit, and I jumped out of bed. It felt like the shaking lasted forever.”

There was no major damage in his house, and he then rushed to the town office to meet up with his colleagues and stand by in case of reports of damage from residents, Ueno told a telephone interview with public broadcaster NHK.

So far, only one resident in the town reported a ruptured water pipe, but no other damage reported, he said.

Masaaki Nakasone, another official at he Nanjo town, said his house shook violently but all furniture and other objects stayed intact.

“First there was a vertical shaking, then the house swayed sideways,” Nakasone said.

Okinawa is about 1,000 miles (1,600 kilometers) southwest of Tokyo.

Japan is one of the world’s most earthquake-prone countries. In 1995, a magnitude-7.2 quake in the western port city of Kobe killed 6,400 people.