[HAL9000]

AFP via Babelfish -

ALARM - Strong seism in the south of Japan, alerts with the tsunami

TOKYO - a strong seism shook Sunday morning the island of Kyushu, in the south of Japan, and an alarm with the tsunami was launched, announced the Japanese media.

(AFP/March 20, 2005 03h01)

[mewzilla]

BTTT.

[OldFriend]

Have tsunami warnings been issued to the public?

[July 4th]

Sushiman, good to hear you're okay.

Were there a lot of people asking, "Fuk! U ok, a?"

[HAL9000]

AFP via Babelfish translation -

Strong seism in the south of Japan, alerts with the tsunami

TOKYO - a strong seism magnitude 7 on the open scale of Richter shook Sunday morning the island of Kyushu, in the south of Japan, and an alarm with the tsunami was launched, announced the weather agency nippone.

No information was immediately available on possible dégats or victims.

The jolt was felt with 10H53 (01H53 GMT) and its epicentre is located in the area of Fukuoka, the capital of Kyushu.

Alarm with the tsunami, which makes state of a rise of the sea which can reach up to one half-meter, relates to the coastal prefectures of Fukuoka and Nagasaki, specified service Kyodo the news.

[HAL9000]

Kyodo News (Japan) -

M7.0 quake hits western Japan, tsunami alert issued

TOKYO, March 20, Kyodo - (EDS: ADDING INFO)

A powerful earthquake measuring a preliminary magnitude of 7.0 jolted northern Kyushu on Sunday morning, the Meteorological Agency said.

The earthquake, which hit at around 10:53 a.m., registered a maximum intensity of lower 6 on the Japanese seismic scale of 7 in Fukuoka City and the southern Saga Prefecture.

The Meteorological Agency issued a tsunami warning for the Japan Sea coastal area of Fukuoka Prefecture and the Iki and Tsushima islands of Nagasaki Prefecture. Waves of up 50 centimeters may hit the areas, it said.

As of 11:15 a.m., there were no immediate reports of injuries or damage from the earthquake, according to Fukuoka prefectural police.

Kyushu Electric Power Co. said neither of its two nuclear power plants in Saga and Kagoshima prefectures was affected by the earthquake.

The Fukuoka airport closed the airport runway briefly for inspection and found no damage, Japan Airlines officials said.

Power outage was reported in parts of Kyushu, Kyushu Electric officials said.

The epicenter of the earthquake was off Fukuoka Prefecture in the Japan Sea.

The prime minister's office set up a team to gather information on the earthquake.