(Update 2) Strong Quake Jolts Kumamoto in Southwestern Japan

(The seventh paragraph should have read, “…the secretariat of the Nuclear Regulation Authority…” instead of as sent. A substitute story follows.) Strong Quake Jolts Kumamoto in Southwestern Japan Kumamoto, July 28 (Jiji Press)–A powerful earthquake hit Kumamoto Prefecture in southwestern Japan at around 4:27 p.m. on Tuesday, measuring up to 7, the highest level on the Japanese seismic intensity scale, in the city of Uki and the town of Hikawa. The quake struck at a depth of about 10 kilometers and had an estimated magnitude of 7.1, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency. The agency temporarily issued a tsunami advisory for areas facing the Ariake and Yatsushiro seas in Kumamoto, Fukuoka, Saga and Nagasaki prefectures. The Kumamoto prefectural police department recognized 12 collapsed houses, four cases of people being trapped in their homes, two fires, and 13 rescue situations. A total of about 48,000 households in Kumamoto, including those in Uki, Hikawa and the city of Yatsushiro, were hit by a blackout as of 5:30 p.m., and some areas in Oita Prefecture also suffered from a power outage, Kyushu Electric Power Transmission and Distribution Co. said. Kyushu Railway Co., or JR Kyushu, said that all Kyushu Shinkansen bullet train operations were suspended, along with conventional train operations including those on the Hisatsu and Misumi lines. According to the secretariat of the Nuclear Regulation Authority, no abnormalities were reported at Kyushu Electric Power Co.’s Genkai nuclear power plant in Saga, its Sendai nuclear power plant in Kagoshima Prefecture, or Shikoku Electric Power Co.’s Ikata nuclear power plant in Ehime Prefecture. In Tokyo, Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi ordered related ministries and government agencies to assess the damage from the earthquake and to expedite rescue efforts for those affected. In an X post, she also called on people to “remain vigilant for earthquakes of the same level in areas where the tremor was strong.” Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi ordered the Ground, Maritime and Air Self-Defense Forces to prioritize life-saving efforts following the earthquake. The ASDF’s F-2 and other aircraft were deployed to gather information. In 2016, Kumamoto was hit by a 6.5-magnitude quake on April 14 and a 7.3-magnitude quake two days later. Both quakes registered 7 on the Japanese intensity scale. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]