5.3 magnitude earthquake strikes Japan's Kurio region

JAPAN: An earthquake of magnitude 5.3 jolted Japan's Kurio region on Saturday, the United States Geological Survey (USGS) said. The quake struck 54 km SW of Kurio, Japan at a depth of 14.3 km.

According to USGS, the earthquake's location was found to be at 29.995°N and 129.957°E respectively. No casualties have been reported yet. Further details awaited.

On May 11, an earthquake of magnitude 5.2 on the Richter Scale left several people injured after hitting areas surrounding Tokyo Bay early, reported Kyodo News. According to the Japanese weather agency and local authorities, the earthquake was also witnessed in areas including Chiba Prefecture and downtown Tokyo.

The agency also stated that the first earthquake at 4:16 am registered an upper 5 on the Japanese seismic intensity scale of 7 in Kisarazu and a lower 5 in Kimitsu, both in Chiba Prefecture and a 4 in areas including Tokyo's Chiyoda, however, no warning for a tsunami was issued. The Japanese weather agency defined the upper 5 as a situation where it becomes difficult for many people to walk. Since March 2012, it was the first time that Chiba Prefecture was shaken by an upper 5 earthquake, according to Kyodo News.

Roof tiles of three homes got dislocated and fell on the ground, while the building windows had developed cracked from the shaking in Kisarazu. Five elderly people sustained minor injuries in Chiba Prefecture. Another two more people were injured in adjacent Kanagawa Prefecture, where a woman fell at home and a man suffered a head injury after a light fell from a shelf while he was asleep.