Japan: Powerful 7.1-Magnitude Earthquake Strikes Japan's Kyushu

Guwahati: Today, a  powerful earthquake measuring 7.1 on the Richter scale struck Japan's Kumamoto Prefecture on the southern main island of Kyushu,  issuing tsunami warnings and emergency alerts across the region.

As per Japan Meteorological Agency,the earthquake's epicentre was located beneath the sea at a depth of approximately 10 kilometres. Japan authority issued a tsunami warning, cautioning that waves of up to one metre could reach coastal areas.  People living along the coast were urged to evacuate immediately to higher ground and follow official safety instructions.

The tsunami waves of the predicted height may already have been recorded in some areas. The Japanese government also issued emergency earthquake alerts for the prefectures of Kumamoto, Nagasaki, Kagoshima, Fukuoka, Saga, Oita and Miyazaki, all located on Kyushu.

The powerful tremor disrupted daily life, knocking out electricity to thousands of homes, suspending rail services and raising concerns over possible aftershocks.

The earthquake comes just days after a magnitude 7.2 quake struck northern Japan on 25th June,  although that event caused no fatalities or significant damage.

Japan remains one of the world's most earthquake-prone nations due to its location along the Pacific "Ring of Fire", where four major tectonic plates meet. The latest quake has also revived memories of the devastating Kumamoto earthquakes a decade ago, which claimed 275 lives and injured 2,739 people.

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