Hundreds of aftershocks continued to rattle western Japan on Saturday after a massive earthquake measuring 7.3 on the Richter Scale injured more than 100 residents and damaged some 1,800 buildings. “By 10:00 am (6:30 IST), 283 aftershocks had jolted the area following Friday’s powerful quake,” said a meteorological agency official. The series of tremors included one of 4.1 intensity, and the agency warned an even more powerful one might come. “Our assessment has not changed that the area may see a major aftershock measuring above 6.0 on the Richter Scale,” said the official, who declined to be named. The massive tremor struck the tottori prefecture 500 km west of Tokyo on Friday. The epicentre lay 10 km below western Tottori, in a rural area close to the towns of Hino and Mizoguchi, sources said. It was stronger than one of 7.2 intensity, which killed more than 6,400 people in the western city of Kobe in January 1995. But the damage this time is seen as minimal for a quake of its scale as the solid ground in the region and rural setting helped prevent a potential catastrophe of fire and building collapses.
The tremor has injured at least 106 people, with the worst cases involving broken bones, the national police agency said. A total of 1,786 buildings were damaged, including 20 houses which were completely flattened. Bureau Report