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, registering 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 16 kilometers and had an estimated magnitude of 7.1, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency. Major tremors with a seismic intensity of up to lower 5 followed. 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 government reported that police and fire departments, mainly in Uki and Yatsushiro, another Kumamoto city, received numerous requests for rescue assistance. There were reports of house collapses and fires, prompting the prefectural government to request the central government to dispatch Self-Defense Forces troops to affected areas. According to the prefectural government and other sources, the second floor of a shopping mall operated by Aeon Co. in the Kumamoto town of Kashima collapsed, trapping many people. Police officers and firefighters are continuing rescue operations. According to police sources, emergency calls reporting an explosion at the mall were made, and the safety of 20-30 employees remains unknown. Dozens of injured and ill individuals were reportedly taken to the Yatsushiro North Community Medical Center in Hikawa. An alert was issued urging a total of 92,743 residents of 46,610 households in Kumamoto to take precautions, according to the prefectural government and other sources. A total of 1,512 people from 858 households were taking shelter at 181 evacuation centers in the city of Kumamoto. Up to a total of 48,000 households in Kumamoto, including those in Uki, Yatsushiro and Hikawa, were hit by blackouts, while water supply was cut to 10,500 households in total. 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. Kyushu Railway Co., or JR Kyushu, said that all Kyushu Shinkansen bullet train operations were suspended. In Tokyo, Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi ordered related ministries and government agencies to assess the damage from the earthquake and expedite rescue efforts for those affected. Speaking to reporters at the prime minister’s office, she 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 SDFs 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. According to the central government’s seismic survey commission, some sections of the Hinagu and Futagawa fault zones shifted, causing the major earthquakes. Masashi Kiyomoto, senior coordinator for earthquake and tsunami risk reduction at the meteorological agency, told a news conference Tuesday that the epicenter of the latest earthquake was near the Hinagu fault zone, but it remains unclear whether the zone has shifted. “There is a risk of an even bigger earthquake, so we want people to be on the alert for quakes with a maximum seismic intensity of about 7 over the next week,” Kiyomoto said. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]