Tokyo shaken by 5.9 magnitude quake, at least 17 injured

A 5.9 magnitude earthquake hit Tokyo on Thursday night leaving at least 17 people injured.

The center of the quake was about 48 miles east of Tokyo in Chiba prefecture, according to The Associated Press.

Buildings shook and street signs swung back and forth as a result of the quake, but officials told the AP that there was no major risk of a tsunami. 

Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno also told AP that the area’s nuclear power facilities were functioning normally and added that one of the 17 injuries was serious at that time.

While Matsuno did not specify the status of the other injuries, local police said that two women sprained their ankles after the earthquake threw them to the floor. Public television reports stated that a commuter train was forced to make an emergency stop after it partially derailed in the quake, the AP reported.

Some of Tokyo’s underground water pipes were damaged and about 250 homes in downtown Tokyo were left without power because of the quake, the AP added.

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida also noted that the quake was the strongest that Tokyo had seen since March 2011.