Japan: Aftershocks hit quake sites

Powerful aftershocks rocked north-western Japan today, as tens of thousands of people huddled in evacuation centres following a devastating weekend earthquake that left 24 dead and injured thousands more.

An aftershock with a preliminary magnitude of 5.6 hit just after dawn, swaying buildings and deepening fears that the area’s already shaky infrastructure would suffer more damage. Smaller aftershocks were felt through the night.