A 7.1 Magnitude Earthquake In Fukushima, The Nuclear Reactor Is Safe

Illustration. (Shefali Lincoln / Unsplash)

JAKARTA - An earthquake at 7.1 magnitudes occurred in Japan on Saturday, February 13, ahead of midnight in the Fukushima area, which the Japanese Meteorological Agency said it was occurring in the same area as the 9.0 magnitude earthquake on March 11, 2011.

The epicenter of Saturday's 7.1 magnitude earthquake, which occurred at 11:07 p.m. local time, was located 45.9 miles (73.9 kilometers) northeast of Namie, a coastal city 60 miles from Fukushima, according to the United States Geological Survey.

The depth of the earthquake was about 36 miles. At least 48 injuries were reported in Fukushima and Miyagi prefectures, according to broadcaster NHK. A tsunami warning was not issued for Saturday's earthquake.

Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga assured the public that after Saturday's quake there was "no abnormality" at the nuclear plant in the region.

Speaking to reporters from his office on Sunday morning, Suga said while the damage was still under assessment, no casualties had been reported. However, he asked the residents in the affected areas to stay indoors and prepare for aftershocks.

The quake triggered landslides that spilled onto the Joban Expressway, the main highway that runs along Japan's east coast. The embankments along the road collapsed, covering the road and burying the guardrail in the mud. In addition, another section of the expressway was raised about 32 feet (10 meters), said police in Miyagi Prefecture.

About 830.000 households in the Kanto region, which includes Tokyo, and about 90.000 households in the Tohoku region were without electricity following Saturday's earthquake. However, the electricity gradually started to recover.

To note, the earthquake of March 11, 2011 caused the worst nuclear disaster in the country, when three reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant melted, releasing radioactive material into the air and forcing more than 100.000 people to be evacuated.

More than 20.000 people died or disappeared in the earthquake and tsunami, while hundreds of thousands of others lost their homes.