6.1 MAGNITUDE

A strong earthquake hit off the coast of Japan, about 200 miles from the Fukushima nuclear plant

The scope of the quake.
The scope of the quake.
Image: US Geological Survey
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A 6.1-magnitude earthquake has hit off the eastern coast of Japan, about 200 miles from the Fukushima power plant, whose meltdown after another quake in 2011 was described as the worst nuclear disaster since the 1986 events in Chernobyl.

The quake was about 10km (6 miles)-deep, and as of Wednesday afternoon US Eastern time there have been no reports of damages. A tsunami warning has not been issued.

It’s the third large earthquake to strike in the past 24-hours, after a disastrous one in Mexico, and smaller one in New Zealand.

The earthquake that hit Japan in 2011 was the strongest the country had ever experienced, and resulted in more than 20,000 deaths.