ENGLAND rugby hero Jonny Wilkinson was caught up in a powerful earthquake that struck Japan yesterday.

The quake, measuring 7.2 on the Richter scale, injured 62 people, triggered small tsunamis and shook skyscrapers in Tokyo.

Wilkinson was relaxing in a hotel in the capital with team-mates from the Newcastle Falcons when the quake hit.

The players, who are on a ten-day tour of Japan, were alarmed when the walls suddenly began to shake.

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."

A roof collapsed at an indoor pool in the coastal city of Sendai, injuring 14 people.

Others in the quake zone were hurt by falling rocks, tumbling roof tiles and landslides.

Power to 17,000 homes was cut, bullet train services in northern Japan were suspended, and flights temporarily grounded at Tokyo's Haneda airport.

Masami Oshima, an official with Miyagi Prefecture (state), which includes Sendai, said: "The horizontal shaking was very strong, so much so that I almost couldn't remain standing."

The quake hit at 2.46am British time, and was centred 12 miles below the ocean floor and 50 miles off the coast of north-east Japan.

Two small tsunamis hit the coast shortly after noon, but little damage was recorded.

The quake was followed by at least four aftershocks. Additional quakes of up to magnitude six could follow.