6.1-magnitude earthquake hits Japan's Hokkaido island

HOKKAIDO [Japan]: An earthquake of magnitude 6.1 on the Richter scale rocked Hokkaido island in Japan on Tuesday, the National Center for Seismology said. Hokkaido is the northernmost of Japan's main islands, famous for its volcanoes, natural hot springs (onsen) and ski areas.

The quake hit off Japan's Hokkaido island at a depth of 50 kilometres at 14:48:29 IST on Tuesday, the National Centre for Seismology said.

The earthquake originated off Aomori's eastern coast at a depth of around 20 kilometres, reported Kyodo News. No casualties have been reported yet. More details are awaited.