Strong magnitude 7.3 earthquake strikes near site of Fukushima nuclear disaster in Japan
Tokyo, Feb 13: A strong earthquake hit off the coast of northeastern Japan late Saturday, shaking Fukushima, Miyagi and other areas, but there was no threat of a tsunami, officials said.
Tokyo Electric Power Co. said there were no irregularities at the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear plant, which experienced meltdowns following a massive quake and tsunami 10 years ago.
There were no immediate reports of irregularities from other nuclear plants in the area, such as Onagawa or Fukushima Dai-ni, government spokesperson Katsunobu Kato told reporters.
The Japan Meteorological Agency said the quake had a magnitude of 7.3, raising it from a preliminary magnitude of 7.1.
Tokyo Electric Power Co. said that some 860,000 homes were without power as a result of the quake, but electricity was gradually being restored, according to Kato.
Kato said there was no danger of a tsunami from the quake. He said that some trains in northeastern Japan had stopped running, and that other damage was still being checked.
Video from public broadcaster NHK TV showed some pieces of a building wall had broken off and fallen to the ground, and pieces of glass were scattered at a store. Items fell off shelves because of the shaking, NHK said.
NHK aerial footage showed a portion of a highway blocked by a landslide in Soma, a city in Fukushima prefecture.
The extent of damage from the landslide was not immediately clear, Kato said.
He said there were several reports of minor injuries from the quake, such as a man getting hit by a falling object.
The Japan Meteorological Agency said the quake was centered about 60 kilometers (37 miles) beneath the ocean.
Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga headed into his office immediately after reports of the quake, and a crisis center was set up there.
The shaking was felt in Tokyo, to the southwest.
The same northeastern area was slammed by a quake, tsunami and nuclear disaster in March 2011.
Experts warned of aftershocks over the next several days, including possibly larger quakes.
NHK reporting the shaking lasted about 30 seconds. (Felt longer to me).
— Kurumi Mori (@rumireports) February 13, 2021
Footage of a TV news station in Sendai city, Miyagi prefecture. #震度6強 #地震発生 pic.twitter.com/POo57IDXIQ
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Four rescued tiger cubs die at Mysuru centre; viral infection suspected
Mysuru (Karnataka) (PTI): Four tiger cubs rescued by the Forest Department last month died at a rescue and rehabilitation centre on the outskirts of the city, officials said on Wednesday.
According to officials, a tigress and her four cubs, aged around four months, were captured near Gowdanakatte village in Hunsur taluk after being spotted roaming along the forest fringes in the district.
The tigress was trapped and shifted to the Chamundi Animal Conservation, Rescue and Rehabilitation Centre at Koorgalli on the outskirts of Mysuru on November 27.
Her cubs were safely captured three days later, on November 30, and moved to the same facility, where they were kept under observation, an official said. However, on December 1, one of the cubs died.
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A preliminary inquiry suggested it may have succumbed to starvation and is also suspected to have developed respiratory and cardiovascular complications, the official said.
The remaining three cubs died on December 5, 7, and 9. Officials said all three are suspected to have contracted a viral infection, possibly Feline panleukopenia.
It is a highly contagious and severe viral disease in cats and kittens, primarily targeting rapidly dividing cells in the digestive tract, bone marrow, lymphatic tissue, and developing nervous system.
The mother tigress remains healthy but continues to be under observation, they added.
Viscera samples of the cubs have been sent to a veterinary laboratory in Bengaluru to determine the exact cause of death, and the reports are awaited, officials said.
