A 6.0 magnitude earthquake erupted off Japan’s eastern coast, with shaking felt all the way in Tokyo, around 200 kilometers away from the epicenter, according to journalists visiting the city to cover the Olympics.
The quake struck off the coast of the Ibaraki Prefecture at around 5:30am on Wednesday morning, with the Japan Meteorological Agency putting it at a depth of 40km. The agency recorded several aftershocks, one coming in at 5.6 magnitude, though added there is no risk of a tsunami.
“Welcome back to the Olympic city, where we are currently in an earthquake,” said Australian sports commentator Mark Beretta while introducing a news segment from Tokyo. Apparently unfazed by the quake, he continued his Olympic broadcast, but later noted it was “quite an unusual moment,” adding that the studio, sitting “about 10 storeys up,” swayed during the event.
I felt what appeared to be a mild earthquake here in Tokyo. Around 5:33 am Wednesday morning here. Rolled for a good 20 seconds. Interestingly my crew 3 floors below me felt nothing. Japanese meteorological agency reporting 6.0 magnitude.
— Lester Holt (@LesterHoltNBC) August 3, 2021
Other reporters in the capital city also commented on the tremor, among them NBC’s Lester Holt, who said he felt about 20 seconds of shaking, while some said it lasted longer.
I felt some shaking from an earthquake here in Tokyo around 5:30 am. Immediately asked my crew if they felt anything – they didn’t. Japanese meteorological agency reporting 6.0 magnitude about two hours away from Tokyo. No tsunami warning.
— Jamie Yuccas (@jamieyuccas) August 3, 2021
Earthquake in Tokyo right now. I’ve felt the shaking for about 30 seconds. Still going.
— Will Ripley (@willripleyCNN) August 3, 2021
While Ibaraki Prefecture is located about 83km (51 miles) northeast of Tokyo, the quake’s epicenter hit some distance off the coast.
With no reports of damage or injuries and no tsunami threat, however, it appears the earthquake poses no danger to the Tokyo games, which are set to run until August 8.
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