Tokyo: Two strong earthquakes shook Northern Japan on July 26, leaving at least 246 people with mostly minor injuries. Officials said area rail traffic was halted, power was cut to tens of thousands of homes and dozens of houses were damaged.

The quake struck shortly after dawn, shaking Miyagi state, about 300 km North East of Tokyo, the Meteorological Agency said. The magnitude-6.2 quake was followed by smaller aftershocks.

So far, 246 people were treated at local hospitals for minor injuries, including 17 from an earlier quake, mostly cuts and bruises, Miyagi state police spokesman Kazuo Horie said. Two people were hospitalised with head injuries.