Newcastle Falcons stars were caught up in a powerful earthquake that struck Japan today.

England hero Jonny Wilkinson and his team-mates were in a Tokyo hotel when a quake measuring 7.2 on the Richter scale rocked the city.

The walls started to shake as the terrified players on a 10-day tour of Japan wondered what was happening.

Many had been bathing when the tremors hit whipping their baths into waves.

Former England player and Falcons Director of Rugby Rob Andrew said: "I was in the dining room in the basement when it happened and I can tell you it was a pretty scary moment.

"The walls were shaking for a few minutes and for those of us who haven't experienced anything like that before we won't forget it in a hurry."

Fitness and conditioning coach Steve Black added: "I was having a bath at the time so it was actually quite a terrifying experience when all the waves started in the bathroom."

The quake hit at around 12.20pm Japan time (4.20am BST) causing some buildings to collapse and triggering small tsunamis around the coast.

Its epicentre was 190 miles to the north of Tokyo but the powerful tremors were still felt in the city.

Around 40 people were injured after a swimming pool roof collapsed and roof tiles and rocks fell on to pedestrians.

Power was knocked out from 17,000 households while bullet train services in northern Japan were suspended and flights were temporarily grounded at Tokyo's Haneda airport.

Nippon Oil shut a refinery in Sendai as a precautionary measure.

Japan sits at the juncture of four tectonic plates, moving slabs of the earth's outer crust, and is one of the world's most quake-prone regions.

A magnitude-6.0 quake shook the Tokyo area on July 23, injuring more than two dozen people and suspending flights and trains for hours.

Falcons boss Andrew added: "These sorts of things are part of everyday life in Japan, as you could see from the way the hotel staff and the public just got on with their business.

"The buildings here are designed to withstand these earthquakes and in fairness, there was not even the smallest bit of damage done to the hotel."

Coach Black added: "We were lucky to be so far away from the epicentre, and we're assured by the locals here that is was just a bit of a wobble, which happens quite a bit."

The Tyneside club are in Japan for a 10-day tour during which they'll compete against Japanese champions NEC Green Rockets and Toyota Verblitz.

The quake, which was centred 12 miles below the ocean floor 50 miles off the coast of Miyagi state in North East Japan, was followed by at least four aftershocks.

Additional quakes of up to magnitude 6 could follow, the meteorological agency said.

In 1995, a magnitude-7.3 quake in the western port city of Kobe killed 6,400 people.

The depth and offshore location of today's quake helped limit the damage that might have occurred had the tremor been centred under a city.