7.1-Magnitude Quake Hits Southern Japan, Injuring Dozens and Damaging Buildings

A magnitude 7.1 tremor struck southern Japan’s Kyushu island on Tuesday at about 4:27 p.m. local time, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency, which reported a shallow depth of 10 km. The quake triggered a tsunami advisory for the Ariake and Yatsushiro seas that was later lifted, NHK said.

Fire officials said dozens of people were trapped when a mall in the region collapsed, and an explosion was heard on the building’s second floor. Footage showed fire trucks lining the parking lot, collapsed ceilings and façade, and debris-strewn roads. At least 12 houses also collapsed, and the disaster management division of the Cabinet Office confirmed more than 50 injuries.

Rail services on Kyushu were suspended by JR Kyushu, and a rupture on the Kyushu expressway left vehicles stranded as sections of the elevated highway became misaligned. Images from the area showed damage to Kumamoto Castle’s outer walls, a site previously affected by the 2016 earthquakes.

Kyushu Electric Power reported no abnormalities at the Genkai or Sendai nuclear power stations, and radiation levels remained unchanged. The U.S. National Weather Service indicated no tsunami threat for Hawaii or American Samoa.