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To: Zardoz who wrote (11220)	5/4/1998 12:15:00 PM
From: IngotWeTrust	Respond to of 116815

oh dear....those poor people!

To: Zardoz who wrote (11220)	5/4/1998 4:45:00 PM
From: Achilles	Respond to of 116815

Earthquake not serious: only a few tourists lost a day on the beach. TOKYO (Reuters) - A massive under-the-sea earthquake off Japan's southernmost Okinawa islands Monday set off a tidal wave scare that briefly disrupted the summer vacations of thousands of tourists enjoying ''Golden Week.'' The 7.7 Richter scale quake, 20 kilometers below the sea, struck Japan's most popular scuba diving region, an area rich in rare coral and sea life, which at this time of the year is packed with tourists. A Japan Meteorological Agency spokesman said there were no casualties or damage from the quake that jolted the area at 8:30 a.m. (2330 GMT). ''We are taking the precaution of asking people in coastal areas to exercise caution,'' Yoshiharu Sawada, head of the earthquake and tsunami bureau, said at a news conference. The epicenter was in the Pacific Ocean, 160 miles south-east of Ishigakijima, one of the southernmost islands making up the Okinawa group. Its effects were also felt hundreds of kilometers away in east Taiwan where buildings shook, but again there were no damage or casualties reported. ''I was eating breakfast with our tour group when the quake occurred. I think the quake lasted for about one or two minutes,'' a man on a scuba diving tour told TV Asahi. The agency issued warnings for tidal waves of up to two meters high but the sea surges that followed did not go over 10 centimeters, the agency spokesman said. The warnings extended north to two of Japan's four main islands -- Kyushu and Shikoku. The warnings were all lifted three hours after the earthquake. Authorities had ordered brief precautionary evacuation of coastal areas in the Okinawa chain, including the capital of Naha. Japan's coast guard and local police were mobilized to warn vessels in the affected areas and broadcast tsunami warnings along the coastline to fishermen and swimmers. However within two hours residents were allowed to return to their homes and tourists to beaches and most activities returned to normal. ''Golden Week'' is one of Japan's most popular holiday periods, falling at the start of summer when there are three consecutive public holiday dates. Tourists in the Izu Peninsula about 68 miles south-west of Tokyo also had their Golden Week holidays spoiled by a series of quakes that have shaken the hot spring resorts area for the past two weeks.