Newsletters
A powerful earthquake struck Japan's southwestern Kyushu region on Tuesday, injuring dozens of people and collapsing buildings, Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said.
The Yatsushiro North Community Medical Center, located in Kumamoto prefecture on Kyushu, reported more than 40 people injured, while public broadcaster NHK said at least 50 people were taken to hospital.
'We are still assessing the extent of injuries and property damage, but I have been informed that there have already been several injuries,' Takaichi said, adding that power outages, fires, and damage to roads, bridges, and buildings were being reported in some areas.
The quake struck at 4:27 pm local time at a depth of 10 kilometers (6.2 miles), about five kilometers (3.1 miles) east of Uto in Kumamoto, according to the US Geological Survey, which initially measured the magnitude at 7.1 before revising it to 6.8. Germany's GEOFON monitoring network gave a similar revision, from 6.4 to 6.8.
The Japan Meteorological Agency recorded a maximum intensity of seven, the highest level on the country's shaking scale, in the towns of Uki and Hikawa, with lower intensities felt as far as the neighboring Fukuoka and Saga prefectures.
The agency warned that strong aftershocks, including some reaching the same intensity, remain possible over the coming week, particularly in the next two to three days. A magnitude 5.6 aftershock followed at 5:08 pm near Tsunagi, also in Kumamoto.
About 48,000 households in Kumamoto lost power, according to utility Kyushu Electric Power, which said three nuclear reactors operating in the region continued functioning normally. Japan's Nuclear Regulation Authority reported no abnormalities at any nuclear plants nationwide.
A tsunami advisory of up to one meter (three feet), issued for the Ariake and Yatsushiro seas, was lifted around 6:10 pm after officials said no tsunami activity had been observed.
The quake disrupted transport across Kyushu, suspending Shinkansen bullet train and local rail services and closing the runway at Kumamoto airport.
Sections of the Kyushu Expressway collapsed, and a freight train derailed and overturned in Kumamoto, though its driver was unharmed.
More than 60,000 people were ordered to evacuate across the Fukuoka, Nagasaki, and Kumamoto prefectures.
Authorities in Yatsushiro City reported fires, collapsed houses, and burst water pipes, while an explosion was heard at a shopping mall in Kashima Town, with smoke seen rising from the building.
Kumamoto was struck by two major earthquakes in 2016 that killed 273 people and injured more than 2,800. Japan sits atop four tectonic plates along the Pacific 'Ring of Fire' and experiences hundreds of earthquakes annually, accounting for about 18 percent of the world's total.
Set as preferred source
Set as preferred source
1 min read
