Strong earthquake strikes off Japan, felt in Tokyo

TOKYO : A strong but deep earthquake struck under the seabed of the Pacific Ocean on early Tuesday afternoon, seismologists said, but there were no immediate reports of damage or casualties.


The 6.9-magnitude earthquake at 1.24 p.m. local time was centered west-northwest of the Bonin Islands, about 800 kilometers (500 miles) south of Tokyo. It struck about 480 kilometers (298 miles) deep, making it a deep earthquake, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA).

Both JMA and the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said that, due to the earthquake's depth, there was no tsunami threat. "A destructive tsunami was not generated based on earthquake and historical tsunami data," the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said in a bulletin.

There were no immediate reports of damage or casualties from the earthquake, which was also felt in Tokyo.