THREE people were killed and 225 others injured after a strong earthquake hit northeastern Japan late Wednesday night, police and fire authorities said Thursday.

As of 7:30 p.m. Thursday , 225 people had been reported injured across 12 prefectures including Miyagi and Fukushima, where the quake registered magnitude 7.4, according to the Fire and Disaster Management Agency.

The quake was originally detected as magnitude 7.3, and then revised up to 7.4 by the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA).

Strong shaking was felt in the Asian country’s northeastern and eastern areas, especially in Miyagi and Fukushima Prefectures where the quake logged six upper on the Japanese seismic intensity scale, which peaks at seven.

Six upper jolts are strong enough to toss people through the air, according to the JMA.

The temblor occurred at around 11:36 p.m. Wednesday with the epicenter, with a depth of 60 km, being at some 37.7 degrees north latitude and some 141.7 degrees east longitude.

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said Thursday that authorities are looking into the deaths apparently caused by the quake, while the defense ministry dispatched the Self-Defense Forces for disaster relief work in Fukushima Prefecture to provide water service in areas where the supply has been disrupted.

“We will take all possible measures to respond [to the disaster],” Kishida told a parliamentary session.

(Xinhua)