Quake off Fukushima kills at least 3 people, cuts power｜日本福岛强地震造成至少3人死亡，电力中断

A magnitude 7.4 earthquake struck off the coast of Fukushima in northern Japan on Wednesday night, cutting off power to more than 2 million homes, including Tokyo, and triggering concerns over thecrippledFukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant.

日本福岛县附近海域16日夜发生7.4级强烈地震，导致包括东京在内的约200万户家庭断电，引发了公众对于福岛核电站事故重演的担忧。

At least three people died and more than 200 were injured in the quake, according to Xinhua News Agency. One of the people who died was a man in his 60s living in Soma, a city in Fukushimaprefecture, local media reported.

据新华社报道，已经确认3人在地震中死亡，至少200人受伤。当地媒体称，其中一位死者已有60多岁，居住在福岛县索马市。

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said on Thursday that authorities were looking into the situation, including the number of deaths linked to the quake, and the Defense Ministry had sent Self-Defense forces to Fukushima to help with disaster relief.

3月17日，日本首相岸田文雄表示，有关部门正密切关注灾情及伤亡情况，日本防卫部已经向福岛派遣自卫队协助救灾。

"We will take all possible measures to respond to the disaster," Kishida said.

岸田文雄表示，“我们会尽全力应对灾难。”

Thetemblor, which happened at 11:36 pm－two minutes after a magnitude 6.1 quake struck－was a frightening reminder for many in the region, where a magnitude 9.0 quake and tsunami hit 11 years ago, resulting in a nuclear crisis.

地震于当地时间16日23时36分发生，两分钟前，6.1级的地震警醒了许多当地人。11年前，该地区发生了9.0级大地震和海啸，引发了一场核泄露危机。

The Japan Meteorological Agency said the quake occurred in waters off Fukushima at a depth of 57 kilometers, and thejoltswere strong enough to toss people into the air. The agency also warned of quakes of a similar scale for the next week or so.

日本气象厅表示，震源深度为57公里，震动强度足以将人抛向空中，并警告今后一周仍可能发生类似规模的地震。

Tokyo Electric Power Co, the operator of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, said workers found noabnormalitiesat the site, which is in the process of beingdecommissioned.

福岛第一核电站运营商东京电力公司表示，工作人员没有发现任何异常，该核电站正在逐步被拆解。

Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno said there have been no problems with safety at nuclear power plants in the quake-hit areas, though there were reports that water pumps in spent-fuel storage pools temporarily stopped working at the Fukushima Daini plant.

日本内阁官房长官松野博一说，地震灾区的核电站是安全的。不过有报道称，福岛第一核电站的部分机组乏燃料池冷却用水泵一度停止。

Meanwhile, the cooling system for the spent fuel pools at the No 2 and No 5 reactors of the Fukushima Daiichi plant was also reportedly stopped temporarily.

该报道称，福岛第一核电站2号和5号反应堆的乏燃料池冷却系统也暂时停止。

More than 2.2 million households in the Tokyo region, including 700,000 in Tokyo, were plunged into darkness, said TEPCO Power Grid and Tohoku Electric Power Network. Power was later restored to most households on Thursday.

东京电力公司和东北电力网表示，东京地区超过220万户家庭断电，其中东京内的70万户家庭也处于断电状态。3月17日，大多数家庭恢复供电。

A bullet train with about 100 passengers on boardderailedbetween Fukushima Station and Shiroishizao Station in Miyagi prefecture, but no injuries were reported.

地震导致一辆载有约100名乘客的动车在福岛站至白石藏站区间脱轨，但没有人员伤亡报告。

The Chinese embassy in Japan issued an emergency alert on Thursday, warning of aftershocks and secondary disasters like landslides.

中国驻日大使馆3月17日发布紧急警报，警告可能发生余震和山体滑坡等次生灾害。

"Strong aftershocks are still likely to occur within the next week. In order to ensure that nothing goes wrong, we remind overseas Chinese citizens in Japan, especially those living near theepicenterof the earthquake, to be highly alert to aftershocks and potential secondary disasters such as landslides," the embassy statement said.

“据日本气象厅预报，今后一周之内仍有可能发生较强余震。为确保万无一失，提醒广大在日侨胞特别是居住在震源地附近同胞高度警惕余震发生并防范滑坡等次生灾害。”

A spokesperson for the Chinese embassy told China Daily, "There are no reports of casualties of Chinese citizens at the moment, and we are continuing to investigate the situation."

中国驻日大使馆发言人向《中国日报》记者表示，“暂未有关于中国公民伤亡的报道，我们正在继续调查这一情况。”

Public broadcaster NHK said the earthquake appears to have been the result of the apparent sinking of the Pacific plate, and it emphasized the need forvigilancefor a week or so.

据日本广播协会（NHK）电视台报道，这次地震有可能是太平洋板块明显下沉的结果，并强调今后一周左右需要保持警惕。

cripple

英 [ˈkrɪpl]；美 [ˈkrɪpl]

v. 严重毁坏(机器)；破坏(组织、体系)

temblor

英 ['temblə(r)]；美 ['temblər]

n. <美>地震

jolt

英 [dʒəʊlt]；美 [dʒoʊlt]

v.（使）震动；（使）摇动；（使）颠簸

decommission

英 [ˌdi:kəˈmɪʃn]；美 [ˌdikəˈmɪʃən]

v. 拆散(核反应堆、大型机械等)；使退役

derail

英[dɪˈreɪl]；美[dɪˈreɪl]

v.阻挠；使离开正常进程

英语新闻丨日本福岛强地震造成至少3人死亡，电力中断 03:30 Share

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英语新闻丨日本福岛强地震造成至少3人死亡，电力中断