Earthquake rocks Japan hours after deadly Chinese quake

© USGS

A 6.2-magnitude earthquake rocked central Japan early on Saturday night and was even felt in Tokyo. This earthquake came only several hours after a deadly earthquake rocked southwestern China late Saturday afternoon.

The first earthquake struck near the town of Kangding in Sichuan Province. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) reported the earthquake having a magnitude of 5.9. The China's Xinhua New Agency reports one person killed after being hit on the head with falling debris. Another 15 were injured.

Just over 4 hours later, another earthquake struck central Japan at 10:08 p.m. local time Saturday (8:08 a.m. EST) about 16 km (10 miles) north-northeast at Omachi, Japan, according to the USGS.

The location of the epicenter is also 24 km (15 miles) west of Nagano. The USGS ShakeMap indicates that very strong shaking was felt in the vicinity of the epicenter, leading to the potential for moderate damage.

As reported by the Kyodo News Agency, the Nagano Prefecture government and fire department said there have been several injuries in Nagano. The Agency also reports of a building collapse in Nagano's Hakuba Village.

Residents have reported to the USGS that weak to light shaking was even felt in Tokyo, which is 191 km (119 miles) to the southeast of the epicenter.