Magnitude 7.1 Earthquake in Southern Japan Causes Power Outage and Transportation Disruption

Illustration of an earthquake. (Unsplash/Anastasia R.)

JAKARTA - An earthquake with an initial magnitude of 7.1 hit Japan's southern Kumamoto Prefecture on Tuesday, causing power outages in thousands of homes, disrupting travel and triggering evacuation orders and warnings of aftershocks.

Speaking to reporters at her office in Tokyo, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said the number of fatalities and property damage was being assessed.

"We have been told that there are people who are injured," Prime Minister Takaichi said, launching Al Arabiya from Reuters (28/7).

"Power outages and fires have occurred in several areas, and there has also been damage to roads and bridges and the collapse of buildings. Most importantly, I ask everyone to take action to protect themselves, including evacuating to a safe place," he said.

Public broadcaster NHK showed several buildings on fire or collapsed, large cracks along roads, including overpasses, and derailed freight trains.

More than 150,000 people were instructed to go to evacuation centers, the disaster management agency said.

Residents in areas that felt the strongest quake should be on alert for further strong quakes for about a week as well as the risk of landslides, a Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) official said.

Kyushu Electric Power said about 40,000 homes lost power due to the latest quake, while JR Kyushu railway company said it had suspended services, including its bullet train.

Kumamoto Airport also closed its runway, as airlines diverted and canceled flights.

Meanwhile, telecommunications operators KDDI and Docomo said there were disruptions to their mobile phone services due to power shortages and transmission line failures.

The Japanese nuclear regulatory authority said there were no reported abnormalities at nuclear power plants in the area.

The Japanese government then issued an earthquake emergency warning for Kumamoto, Nagasaki, Kagoshima, Fukuoka, Saga, Oita, and Miyazaki prefectures, all on Japan's southern Kyushu island.

The JMA also initially issued a tsunami warning for waves as high as 1 m (3.28 feet) but later lifted it.

Japan is one of the most earthquake-prone countries in the world, with earthquakes occurring at least every five minutes.

Located along the "Ring of Fire" of volcanoes and sea trenches that partially surround the Pacific Basin, Japan accounts for about 20 percent of the world's earthquakes with a magnitude of 6.0 or more.

The devastating Kumamoto earthquake 10 years ago killed 275 people and injured another 2,739, according to official calculations, and damaged thousands of buildings including the city's castle, a major tourist site.