Quake measuring 5.9 strikes off Japan disaster zone

Tokyo: A moderate 5.9-magnitude earthquake has struck off Japan today, US geologists said, close to the area hit by twin disasters in March, but there was no immediate tsunami warning or reports of damage.[caption id=“attachment_138834” align=“alignleft” width=“380” caption=“An aerial view of the central district of Sendai city which was affected by the 11 March earthquake and tsunami, in Miyagi prefecture on 7 September 2011. Issei Kato/Reuters”]  [/caption] The undersea quake hit at 4.24 am (local time) at a depth of 37 km (23 miles), 64 km from Iwaki and 112 km from Sendai, the United States Geological Survey said – both cities struck by the tsunami that left almost 20,000 dead or missing after a massive 9.0 earthquake in March. The area is also close to a nuclear plant that was crippled by the March disasters and has since leaked radiation into the air, soil and sea, but has remained stable through a series of more recent tremors. AFP