Japan Rocked by 7.1 Quake

This time, fears of another devastating tsunami were thankfully unfounded after another big earthquake—a 7.1 this time—shook Japan late on Thursday, but workers at the trouble-plagued Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant didn’t take any chances and temporarily evacuated the premises. Aftershocks were also felt on the stock market.  —KA

The Guardian:

Fears that the magnitude 7.1 quake, the strongest since the tsunami, would set off another series of huge waves subsided with the lifting of a tsunami warning about 90 minutes later.

The nuclear plant’s operator, Tokyo Electric Power, said Thursday’s earthquake had not caused further damage to the facility, adding that workers battling to cool down overheating reactors had temporarily retreated to an on-site quake-resistant shelter.

The latest earthquake caused power outages across a wide area of northern Japan and knocked out several power lines at Onagawa nuclear power station north of Sendai city.

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bbc.co.uk

This graphic from the BBC’s video coverage of the Japanese aftershock shows the quake’s epicenter off the country’s coast.