Tokyo: A powerful magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck Japan’s Kumamoto Prefecture in the Kyushu region on Tuesday, causing widespread damage, triggering fires, disrupting power supply and injuring several people.
The earthquake struck at 4:27 p.m. local time and registered the maximum shindo 7 intensity on Japan’s seismic scale, the highest level of ground shaking. About 30 minutes later, a strong aftershock measuring up to lower 5 on the same scale rattled the region again, prompting authorities to warn residents to remain on high alert for further powerful tremors, The Japan Times reported.
Television footage aired by public broadcaster NHK showed several buildings collapsing near the epicentre. Fire officials in the city of Uki reported receiving numerous emergency calls as multiple fires broke out following the quake. Roads and transport infrastructure also suffered extensive damage, with sections of highway overpasses on the Kyushu Expressway in Yatsushiro reportedly damaged and part of a pedestrian bridge collapsing. There were also unconfirmed reports of an explosion at a partially collapsed shopping mall in the town of Kashima.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi urged people in the affected areas to remain vigilant as authorities assessed the extent of the damage. She said reports of injuries had already been received but did not specify the number of casualties.
The Japan Meteorological Agency warned that earthquakes of similar intensity could continue to occur over the next week, particularly during the next two to three days. Officials explained that the latest earthquake originated from a shallow inland epicentre, a type of seismic activity that often leads to numerous aftershocks. They also said it was too early to determine whether the quake was linked to the devastating Kumamoto earthquakes of 2016, although the epicentre was located about 20 kilometres from the Hinagu fault zone associated with the earlier disaster.
Authorities initially issued a tsunami advisory for coastal areas along the Ariake and Yatsushiro seas, urging residents to stay away from the shoreline. However, the advisory was lifted later in the evening after no significant tsunami threat was detected.
The report said more than 48,000 households in Kumamoto Prefecture lost electricity following the earthquake. Power utility Kyushu Electric appealed to residents not to approach damaged or fallen power lines and to report any electrical hazards immediately.
The earthquake was felt across several neighbouring prefectures, including Nagasaki, Fukuoka, Saga, Miyazaki and Kagoshima.
The latest disaster comes just over a decade after the devastating 2016 Kumamoto earthquakes, which claimed 278 lives, injured nearly 2,800 people and caused extensive damage to the historic Kumamoto Castle. Restoration work on the landmark is still underway and is expected to continue until 2052.
