NANGO (Japan), July 26: More than 420 people were injured when three strong earthquakes jolted northeastern Japan on Saturday, destroying several houses, cutting power supplies and triggering mudslides, police said.

The largest quake, measuring 6.2 on the Richter scale, struck at 2213 GMT (Friday) and cut power to more than 100,000 households. Four thousand remained without power through the late afternoon.

The focus of the powerful tremor was 12 kilometres underground in a northern coastal area of Miyagi prefecture, some 350 kilometres north of Tokyo.

“By 7pm (1000 GMT), 421 people were injured from the quakes, of whom 27 sustained heavy injuries such as bone fractures,” a police spokesman said.

“We are afraid the number will keep rising some time but no one is in a critical condition.”

A total of 1,020 people were evacuated for fear of landslides or flooding as rain continued to fall on Miyagi, according to police. The powerful quake also derailed a train and cracked roads.

About 300 army personnel were mobilized to provide water.

The early-morning quake’s focus hit almost exactly where an earlier quake, measuring 5.5 on the Richter scale, hit at 1513 GMT (Friday).

Experts warned quakes with shallow focuses tended to trigger powerful aftershocks.

Dozens of people were injured in this farming town of Nango, close to the focus of the quakes, sending about 260 residents to seek shelter at two schools, where they were supplied with blankets and water.

The town’s roads were jammed with cars after traffic signals stopped functioning for lack of power. At least six houses were totally destroyed and 12 houses partially damaged in Nango alone.—AFP