Tokyo,Nov.29 (BNA) A 7.1 magnitude earthquake hit Japan's northernmost prefecture of Hokkaido early today and at least 12 people were injured, authorities said.
According to the Meteorological Agency, the quake occurred at 3:32 a.m. today (1832 GMT Sunday). At least 12 people were injured but most of the injuries were minor, such as bruises after being hit by falling objects, local police said. Among them, a woman in her 80s in the city of Nemuro in Hokkaido who fell over and broken left arm. The quake cut off electricity supplies to 1,580 households in the towns of Teshikaga and Shibecha in eastern Hokkaido, according to Hokkaido Electric Power Co. The city government of Nemuro temporarily urged some 13,000 households to evacuate. On October 23, a series of strong earthquakes hit northwestern Niigata prefecture, killing 39 people and forcing nearly 100,000 people to evacuate to public shelters.