Strong earthquake hit Japan

[Subhash]

KASHIWAZAKI, Japan - A strong earthquake struck northwestern Japan on Monday, causing a fire and radioactive water leak at the world's largest nuclear plant. At least eight people were killed and hundreds injured in the 6.8 magnitude quake that collapsed wooden houses, ripped apart roads and buckled seaside bridges.

Flames and billows of black smoke poured from the Kashiwazaki nuclear plant — the world's largest in terms of power output capacity. It took two hours to extinguish the fire in an electrical transformer, said Motoyasu Tamaki, a Tokyo Electric Power Co. official.

The plant leaked about 315 gallons of water, said Katsuya Uchino, another Tokyo Electric official. Uchino said the water contained a tiny amount of radioactive material and is believed to have flushed into the Sea of Japan.

"The radioactivity is one-billionth of the legal limit," Oshima said.

The quake, which left fissures 3 feet wide in the ground along the coast, hit shortly after 10 a.m. local time and was centered off Niigata state. Buildings swayed 160 miles away in Tokyo. Sirens wailed in Kashiwazaki, a city of about 90,000, which appeared to be hardest hit.

Japan's Meteorological Agency measured the quake at a 6.8 magnitude. Near midnight Monday, another 6.8-magnitude quake hit off Japan's west coast, according to the U.S. Geological Survey, which said the initial quake registered 6.7.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070716/ap_on_re_as/japan_quake