Tsunami Alert Issued After Magnitude 7.1 Earthquake Struck Japan's Kumamoto; No Threat to Sri Lanka

COLOMBO (News 1st): A magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck Kumamoto Prefecture in the Kyushu region today at 4:35 p.m., Japan time, registering up to shindo 7, the highest level on the Japanese seismic intensity scale.

An aftershock of up to a weak 5 hit the same area about 30 minutes later as authorities urged residents to remain vigilant for more large quakes.

Footage on NHK showed what appeared to be multiple fires near the epicenter of the quake.

The weather agency issued a tsunami advisory for coastal areas of the Ariake and Yatsushiro seas, urging people to stay away from the coast.

At a news conference, the government’s top spokesman warned that tsunami waves of approximately 1 meter were expected. Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara also said that no abnormalities had been detected at the country’s nuclear power plants, including the Sendai facility in Satsumasendai, Kagoshima Prefecture.

The first tsunami wave was believed to have arrived in those seas shortly after the quake. More waves were expected to arrive at any point. 

In a post to X, Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi urged those in the quake-hit areas “to remain vigilant for the possibility of another earthquake of similar magnitude,” adding that the government was working to assess the extent of damage “as quickly as possible.”

Electricity was out for about 48,300 households in Kumamoto Prefecture. 

The quake comes just over 10 years after two separate earthquakes rocked the city of Kumamoto in April 2016, leaving 278 people dead and injuring another 2,800.

Meanwhile, Sri Lanka’s Geological Survey and Mines Bureau has assured that there is no risk to the country from the earthquake.

Source: The Japan Times