6.1 Magnitude Earthquake Jolts Japan's Hokkaido: Report

An earthquake of magnitude 6.1 struck Japan's northern island of Hokkaido on Saturday, according to the United States Geological Survey.

(Representational Image)

Source : Getty

A magnitude 6.1 earthquake struck Japan's Hokkaido on Saturday night, news agency Agence France-Presse (AFP) reported citing the United States Geological Survey (USGS). 

#BREAKING Magnitude 6.1 earthquake shakes Japan's Hokkaido: USGS pic.twitter.com/Y4MA7jloZt

— AFP News Agency (@AFP) February 25, 2023

"A magnitude 6.1 earthquake struck off Hokkaido in northern Japan on Saturday night, the United States Geological Survey said, shaking coastal cities, but no tsunami warning was issued," AFP reported. 

#UPDATE A magnitude 6.1 earthquake struck off Hokkaido in northern Japan on Saturday night, the United States Geological Survey said, shaking coastal cities, but no tsunami warning was issued.

— AFP News Agency (@AFP) February 25, 2023

According to Japanese news agency Kyodo News, the Japan Meteorological Agency stated no tsunami warnings were issued following the temblor that mostly rattled the eastern part of Hokkaido around 10:27 pm.

There were no immediate reports of serious injuries or major property damage.

The quake, which occurred at a depth of 60 kilometres in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Kushiro, also affected a larger region, encompassing northeastern and eastern Japan, according to the report.

A local media agency has posted a video of the tremors felt in the region on Twitter. 

【北海道 根室市 標津町で震度5弱 津波の心配なし】https://t.co/R2brJPU0fI

２５日午後１０時２７分ごろ地震がありました。

この地震による津波の心配はありません#nhk_video pic.twitter.com/4ba1LSy3gD

— NHKニュース (@nhk_news) February 25, 2023

More details are awaited. 

This comes less than a week after a magnitude 5.1 earthquake devastated Japan's Hokkaido, according to Reuters, citing the EMSC. The report initially said that the magnitude of the quake was 5.5, but it later stated that the Paris-based EMSC revised its readings.

Hokkaido is one of Japan's main northern islands.

(With Inputs From Agencies)