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The Associated Press
TOKYO
- A strong earthquake jolted southwestern Japan early Tuesday,
injuring five people and temporarily closing a local expressway.
The
quake, which hit at 1:43 a.m., had a magnitude of 5.5 and
was centered about 25 miles underground in southern Mie
prefecture, the Meteorological Agency said. The agency initially
gave the magnitude at 5.7, but lowered it after further
assessment.
Katsuhiko
Kawaguchi, a spokesman for the Mie prefectural police, said
a man cut his forehead after jumping out of his home in
panic. Another man suffered a head injury after a piece
of furniture fell on him, and a third man received a cut
on the head from a falling appliance, Kawaguchi said. A
woman was taken to a hospital suffering from shock, he said.
In Aichi
prefecture, a woman suffered a broken nose while trying
to run outside, said Kenzo Hanaya, a local police spokesman.
Also
in Aichi, police temporarily halted traffic on the Tomeihan
expressway, a major highway, and reduced speed limits on
other major roads as officials checked for damage.
Also
Tuesday, a quake with a preliminary magnitude of 4.9 shook
a string of volcanic islands south of Tokyo at 4:20 a.m.,
but there were no immediate reports of damage or injuries.
The earthquake, centered about six miles under the seabed
near the islands of Niijima and Kozushima, was unrelated
to the earlier quake, the agency said.
Niijima,
home to about 600 people is located about 105 miles south
of Tokyo. Nearby Kozushima has a population of around 2,300.
Earthquakes
have persistently hit the small island chain since a mountain
on the island of Miyakejima began volcanic activity in June.
Miyakejima's 3,855 residents have been evacuated.
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