Tokyo - At least 134 people were injured in a magnitude-6.8 earthquake that jolted northern Japan shortly after midnight Thursday, media reports said. The government sent a research team Thursday morning to the quake- hit region to inspect the damage.
About 17 of those injured were in a serious condition, police said. Nine of the victims, who were older than 65, were treated for broken bones. Others sustained minor injuries.
The injured included a 59-year-old woman who broke a leg when she fell off the stairs during the quake in Iwate province and a 5-year- old boy who burned his back when boiling water spilled during the quake.
Landslides were reported in some mountainous areas, windows shattered and objects fell as the seismic wave rattled buildings across northern Japan.
Water pipes burst, leaving more than 500 households without water in some regions, and some 8,600 households experienced temporary power outages. Four fires were reported in Iwate and Aomori prefectures.
East Japan Railway Co suspended train services in the northern region Thursday morning for safety checks.
No damage was reported to nuclear power plants in Miyagi and Fukushima provinces, or at nuclear fuel recycling facilities in Aomori city.
The government set up a task force at the prime minister's office to deal with the quake's aftermath.
The Japan Meteorological Agency said the earthquake's epicentre was 108 kilometres under the sea basin off the north-eastern coast of Iwate province.
