TOKYO — Japan’s weather agency withdrew an erroneous alert for a magnitude 9.9 earthquake minutes after issuing it, apologising for the warning that disrupted transport.
The Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) had initially warned yesterday that a magnitude 9.9 earthquake occurred near the Kuril Islands, known in Japan as the Chishima Islands, setting off loud emergency alerts on millions of mobile phones.
The JMA clarified later that a 6.9-magnitude quake occurred near Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula at a depth of 160 kilometres (100 miles) just after midday.
