A 6.2 magnitude earthquake struck in Japan, taking away, nine lives and leaving hundreds injured.

As per U.S. Geological Survey, the earthquake stuck near Ueki and was followed several smaller aftershocks.

“The ground shook for about 20 seconds before the 6.2-magnitude quake stopped,” witness Lim Ting Jie said.

Among the 800 injured, 50 had severe injuries. The prefecture office said 44,449 people had evacuated.

Meanwhile, director of the Japan Meteorological Agency's earthquake division, Gen Aoki anticipated that, there would be more aftershocks in the next week.

"This is an earthquake that is going to shake for a long time," CNN meteorologist Chad Myers said.
That could mean many more building collapses.

"The buildings that were damaged in the original shock have now been redamaged or reshaken. And all of a sudden you have a cracked building, and it wants to fall down with the second shake. An estimated 750,000 people felt violent to severe shaking. The strongest shaking was right where the most people live in the area,” he said.

While the magnitude might not seem extreme, the shallow depth of the quake -- just 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) is significant.

"When you have a shallow earthquake, such as this one is, you have the potential for more damage because the shaking is close to the surface," John Bellini of the U.S. Geological Survey said.

The quake destroyed 19 houses and hurled items off store shelves and littered streets with rubble.

Fortunately, the quake was only on land. If at all, it was even experienced on the ocean, then the damage would have been greater.

Earlier in March 11, 2011, Japan experienced the largest recorded earthquake with 9.0 magnitude on richter scale. It centered 231 miles (372 kilometers) northeast of Tokyo devastated the country.

The quake triggered a massive tsunami, killing 22000 people.

Jie said Thursday's quake gave him a new appreciation for life.

"This experience has helped me to treasure my family members and relatives even more, and not take what I have and the people who support me for granted."

By Phani Ch