Earthquake rattles southwest japan

An earthquake measuring 6.3 on the Richter scale was reported off Kyushu in southern Japan at around 10:37 pm according to the Indian Standard Time. The epicenter of the earthquake was confirmed at latitude 34 degrees North and longitude 131.2 degrees East, about 12 km north of Kunisaki-shi city and 100 km away from Hiroshima. The tremors had a depth of 10 km. However, no Tsunami warning has been issued post the quake.

According to media reports several people were injured and water pipe bursted in the city. A similar intensity earthquake had occurred early this month in Okinawa island.

In March 2011, about 18,000 people had died when a 9.0 magnitude sub-sea earthquake sent a towering tsunami barreling into Japan's northeast coast in the country's worst post-World War II disaster. Cooling systems at the Fukushima nuclear plant had stopped working due to the sea wave invasion, sending reactors into meltdown mode and forcing tens of thousands of people to flee.

Japan's Islands have a long history of earthquakes and seismic activities as it is located near major tectonic plate boundaries and is situated on the Pacific Ring of Fire.