7.1-magnitude earthquake shakes Japan
An earthquake registering a magnitude of 7.1 shook Kumamoto on Japan’s southern main island of Kyushu late Tuesday afternoon, causing damage and injuries, officials said.
A tsunami advisory was temporarily issued but was lifted within two hours, the Japan Meteorological Agency said.
The agency said the tsunami advisory covered the nearby Ariake and Yatsushiro Seas on the western coasts of Kumamoto, Nagasaki, Fukuoka and Saga prefectures about 900 kilometres southwest of Tokyo. The US Geological Survey initially said the earthquake had a magnitude of 7.1, but revised it later to 6.8.
Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, in a message posted on X, said her Government has set up a task force to gather information, assess possible damage and prepare for rescue operations if needed.
Takaichi later told reporters that there have been reports of a number of injuries and damage to roads, bridges and buildings, as well as blackouts and fire, though details are still unclear. Takaichi warned people cooking to be careful with fire and with shards of broken glass.
Kyodo News agency said a hospital in Yatsushiro city accepted about 40 people with injuries from the quake. A train was derailed and fell on one side at the Yatsushiro station, and stone walls were damaged at the Kumamoto castle, Kyodo said. Japan’s Fire and Disaster Management Agency said there were no reports of damage to major public facilities and infrastructure, though authorities were still assessing the extent of damage.
Local fire departments received many emergency calls reporting fires and damage to homes. “We are putting people’s lives as the top priority,” Takaichi said, urging residents in the strongly shaken areas to use caution in light of possible aftershocks.
Shinji Kiyomoto, JMA’s Earthquake and Tsunami Countermeasures planning officer, told a news conference that the shallow earthquake was triggering active seismic activity in the area, urging residents to especially be cautious over the next two to three days.
