The bullet, or high-speed, trains going to and from Hiroshima have stopped. Roads have been closed while authorities assess the damage, and the Hiroshima airport has also been closed for further inspection. Phone service had been interrupted as well. Two fires had been reported in the city, but the fires as of yet have not been directly linked to the quake. It lasted a long time, about 30 seconds, but there was no panic inside the store.
Japan is one of the most earthquake prone countries in the world.
A professor at the Earthquake Research Institute at the University of Tokyo said in a press conference today that major earthquakes occur every 50 years in that region. It is thought that the epicenter of the quake was almost 40 miles deep, and offshore, thus lessening the impact to some extent. About 6,000 people died when a powerful quake struck Kobe in 1995. ABC News Internet Ventures.