Sunday, March 20 2005 13:38 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Tokyo: A powerful earthquake jolted southern Japan today (Mar 20, 2005), injuring at least 155 people, disrupting transport and prompting a tsunami warning that was later cancelled. Buildings swayed, and smaller aftershocks continued to rattle the region.

About 100 residents of Genkai, a tiny Island off the coast of Kyushu, evacuated their homes after buildings collapsed and roofs caved in, and village officials requested emergency help from Japanese troops, NHK television reported.

Minutes after the quake, the meteorological agency warned of possible tsunami waves and urged people near the sea to move to higher ground. But within an hour, the agency said there was no danger of tsunami.

"There may be some disturbance of the ocean's surface, but we aren't worried about tsunami damage,'' the Meteorological Agency's Masahiro Yamamoto told reporters.

Dozens of aftershocks - one with a magnitude of 4.2 - followed the initial quake. Authorities ordered buildings in Fukuoka city, about 899 kilometers southwest of Tokyo, to be evacuated, and warned of landslides around Fukuoka, Saga and Nagasaki prefectures (states).

At least 155 people, most in hard-hit Fukuoka prefecture, were injured by the quake, with some struck by toppling cabinets, items falling off shelves or shattered glass, and one burned by a cooking stove, NHK TV said.

In Okawa city, a 56-year-old man suffered broken bones after trying to jump to safety from the second floor of his home, the network said.

One person was reportedly rescued after being pinned inside a collapsed home.

The initial jolt, which lasted about 30 seconds, toppled desks and knocked books off shelves and made it difficult to stand, said a Fukuoka prefectural police spokesman, who declined to be identified.

The network showed tall office buildings and street lamps in the center of Fukuoka city, nearest the epicenter, shaking violently.

The floor and desks at an office was strewn with paper, tapes and other items that has been flung off desks and shelves.

In residential areas, windows had shattered, the pavement was lined with fissures and parts of walls had flaked off.

The quake was felt as far away as South Korea's port city of Busan, where it shook buildings and was registered at a magnitude of 4 to 5. No damage was immediately reported, a police spokesman in Busan said on condition of anonymity.