Number of injured in Greater Tokyo area earthquake rises to 52

The number of people injured as a result of a powerful earthquake in Japan's Greater Tokyo Area has grown to 52, media reported on Friday.

Twelve people were injured in Tokyo, 11 in Saitama, 14 in Chiba and Kanagawa each, and one person in Ibaraki, according to the NHK broadcaster.

Earlier reports said about 32 people injured, including three in critical condition.

On Thursday evening, a powerful earthquake struck the capital region of Japan. Initially, its magnitude was estimated at 6.1, but then it was downgraded to 5.9.

Some 368,000 people have been affected by transport disruptions in the wake of the quake. About 55,000 elevators stopped in Tokyo and neighboring prefectures during the disaster.

Japan is located in a seismically active zone known as the Ring of Fire and regularly suffers from powerful earthquakes. The 2011 9.0 magnitude earthquake and the following tsunami killed over 15,000 people and caused the Fukushima nuclear plant disaster. (ANI/Sputnik)

( With inputs from ANI )