Strong 6.9 Earthquake injures 2 in south Japan on Friday

TOKYO – A powerful earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.9 rattled Japan's southern islands early Saturday, injuring two and initially prompting fears of a tsunami.

There were no reports of serious damage from the quake, believed to be the strongest in a century to hit Japan's southern Okinawa Island. Japan's Kyodo news agency said two people were hurt, but there were no reports of any deaths.

The quake occurred off the coast of the island of Okinawa at a depth of 6.2 miles (10 kilometers) at 5:31 a.m. Saturday (2031 GMT Friday), the Meteorological Agency said.