Magnitude 7.1 quake struck Kumamoto Prefecture on Kyushu island at about 4:27 pm local time. USGS lists it 6.8 at 10 km depth east of Uto.
Highest shaking intensity of 7 hit areas like Uki and Hikawa. Strong 6 in other spots around Kumamoto.
At least 50 people taken to hospital. One hospital alone reported that many. Some injuries on a high speed train. About 10 from an elderly care home.
Aeon Mall in the area partially collapsed. Second floor came down. Many people trapped inside. Reports of 20 to 30 employees uncontactable. Explosion or fire reported at the mall after the quake. Aerial views show walls peeled off and roof damage.
Buildings collapsed. Fires broke out. Roads and bridges damaged. Cargo train derailed. Cracked roads visible.
Power out for about 45,000 to 48,000 households in Kumamoto region. Utility working to restore.
Tsunami advisory for Ariake and Yatsushiro seas issued then cancelled after about an hour and a half. No tsunami observed. Inland quake.
Nuclear plants in the area including Sendai reported no abnormalities. Reactors running normal.
Airport closed. Train services suspended including bullet trains. Over 150,000 people told to evacuate to shelters.
Aftershocks continuing. Agency warns strong ones possible for about a week plus landslide risk.
Same region hit hard in 2016 with quakes that killed over 270. This one already echoes the damage pattern.
AP News article titled “A magnitude 7.1 earthquake shakes part of southern Japan but no tsunami detected”
Link: https://apnews.com/article/japan-earthquake-tsunami-09e6f40acbcc96053946c9c104e7a242
Used for magnitude, location, no tsunami detected.Yahoo News / AFP report “Japan PM says injuries, buildings collapsed in major quake”
Link: https://www.yahoo.com/news/weather-news/articles/japan-pm-says-injuries-buildings-101200233.html