Overview
- A shallow, preliminary magnitude 7.1 quake struck off Kumamoto on Tuesday and registered the maximum Shindo 7 level of ground shaking, the Japan Meteorological Agency said.
- The JMA issued tsunami warnings and advisories for parts of Kyushu forecasting waves up to about 1 metre while the U.S. Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said there was no threat beyond Japanese coasts.
- The government activated emergency alerts for seven prefectures and JR Kyushu suspended rail services including Shinkansen trains as safety inspections were carried out.
- Kyushu Electric Power reported roughly 40,000 households lost electricity and national broadcasters and officials said dozens of people were injured and there were reports of collapsed walls, fires and other structural damage.
- Japan’s nuclear regulator and local utilities reported no abnormalities at nearby reactors, and officials cautioned residents to expect strong aftershocks over the next two to three days as damage assessments continue.