Tokyo: A powerful earthquake measuring 7.1 on the Richter Scale struck off Japan’s southern coast on Thursday, triggering a tsunami advisory near the southern coast of Kyushu. The 7.1 magnitude earthquake occurred today at 4:42 pm local time near Miyazaki, Japan, reported by the United States Geological Survey.
Earlier, the Japan Meteorological Agency said the tremor was registered at a preliminary magnitude of 6.9 and was centred off the eastern coast of Japan’s southern main island of Kyushu at a depth of about 30 km (18.6 miles). It issued a tsunami advisory, predicting waves of up to 1 metre (3.3 feet) along the southern coast of Kyushu and the nearby island of Shikoku.
The advisory was issued for the coastal areas of Miyazaki, Kochi, Oita, Kagoshima and Ehime prefectures, according to NHK World. People are advised to avoid seashores and do not attempt to observe the situation.
The agency said tsunami waves of up 50 centimetres (1.6 feet) were detected along parts of Kyushu’s southern coast and the nearby island of Shikoku about a half hour after the quake struck.
Seismologists were holding an emergency meeting to analyze whether the quake had affected the nearby Nankai Trough, the source of past devastating earthquakes. Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi said officials were assessing possible injuries or serious damage, though none were immediately reported. He urged residents of the affected region to stay away from the coastline.
Japan’s NHK public television said windows were broken at the Miyazaki airport near the epicentre. The airport’s runway was temporarily closed for safety checks. Earthquakes in areas with nuclear power plants have been a major concern since a massive earthquake and tsunami in March 2011 triggered the Fukushima nuclear disaster.
In Osaki in neighbouring Kagoshima prefecture, concrete walls collapsed and a wooden house was damaged, but no injuries were reported. The Nuclear Regulation Authority said all 12 nuclear reactors, including three that are currently operating, in Kyushu and Shikoku remained safe.
Japan sits on the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” a line of seismic faults encircling the Pacific Ocean, and is one of the world’s most earthquake-prone countries. An earthquake on January 1 in Japan’s north-central region of Noto left more than 240 people dead.
(with inputs from AP)
