Thousands of panicked Japanese residents fled their homes Thursday morning following a 6.7 magnitude earthquake that struck just 109 miles from the epicenter of the devastating March 11 tremor. The coastal cities of Kamaishi and Ofunato ordered the evacuations of about 8,000 homes along the coast after the Japanese Meteorological Agency said the earthquake could generate a tsunami. The tsunami warning was canceled less than an hour later.
The Japan Meteorological Agency reported the epicenter of Thursday’s quake about 30 miles off the shore of Iwate prefecture. The earthquake struck at a depth of 19.9 miles at 6:51 a.m. Several small aftershocks followed. Authorities did not receive any immediate reports of damages or injuries.
Northern Japan is still working to recover from March’s powerful 9.0 earthquake and subsequent tsunami. Thousands of buildings were destroyed and at least 23,000 people died or were left missing.
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