Strong Earthquake Hits off Japan

Two strong earthquakes jolted the ocean floor off southern Japan on Monday, triggering tsunami warnings for a cluster of sub-tropical islands and shaking buildings in nearby Taiwan.

Photo: Strong Earthquake Hits off Japan

Strong Earthquake Hits off Japan

There were no immediate reports of casualties or damage.

A 6.7-magnitude quake struck in the morning southwest of Ishigaki-jima island in Japan's far southern Ryukyu Islands, followed by a 6.4-strength tremor in the evening, the US Geological Survey reported.

Japan's meteorological agency issued and lifted tsunami alerts both times for a group of islands in the East China Sea, reports AFP.

The Japan Meteorological Agency withdrew its tsunami alert for the area at about 8 p.m. The quake may have generated a tsunami about 50 centimeters (20 inches) high, the agency said earlier when it issued its yellow alert, its lowest. There were no reports of damage, according to Japan’s national broadcaster NHK Television.

The epicenter was 310 kilometers southeast of Taipei, where the Taiwanese weather bureau said the quake had a magnitude of 6.1 and a depth of 20 kilometers, informs Bloomberg.