Quake Hits Off Japan's Fukushima, No Damage Or Tsunami

A moderately strong earthquake struck off the coast of Japan´s Fukushima on Thursday but no fresh damage to the crippled nuclear power plant there was reported and there was no risk of a tsunami, officials said.

The 5.8-magnitude quake hit at 9:11 am (0011 GMT) off Fukushima prefecture in the Pacific Ocean with the epicentre located 34 kilometres (21 miles) under the sea, according to the US Geological Survey.

Japan´s meteorological agency said there was no risk of tsunami from the earthquake.

"We have found no (new) abnormality so far" at the Fukushima Daiichi plant, said a spokesman at Tokyo Electric Power Co., the operator.

A 9.0-magnitude earthquake in March 2011 triggered a massive and deadly tsunami, which smashed into the power station and sparked the world´s worst atomic accident since Chernobyl in 1986.

Tokyo Electric is working to clean up and dismantle the reactors in a process that is expected to take at least four decades.
Fukushima police also said there were no immediate reports of damage or injuries.