Powerful 7.1 earthquake off the coast of Japan; Tsunami warning – Radio Santa Fe 1070m Noticias de Colombia

-Illustration Japan Meteorological Agency). An earthquake with an initial magnitude of 7.1 occurred this Thursday in southwestern Japan, prompting the country’s Meteorological Agency (JMA) to activate a tsunami warning of up to one meter along the Pacific coast in the region.

The earthquake occurred at 4:43 pm local time (7:43 GMT) at a depth of 30 kilometers off the coast of Miyazaki prefecture, on the southern island of Kyushu, according to the JMA.

The quake, whose magnitude was revised from an initial magnitude of 6.9, in the eastern half of Miyazaki reached the lowest intensity of 6 on the 7-level Japanese seismic scale, which measures surface shaking and its destructive potential, and intensity 5 lower in the rest of the province and east of nearby Kagoshima.

?? There was a 6.9 magnitude earthquake south of Miyazaki. Tsunami warning issued for parts of Japan#Japan #?? pic.twitter.com/shIeQA0S4O

– Ireland??? (@Eren50855570) August 8, 2024

As a result of the earthquake, the JMA issued a tsunami warning which estimates that it will reach a height of one meter on the coasts of Miyazaki, Kagoshima and Kochi, as well as the area of ​​the islands of Tanegashima and Yakushima, near the center, and up to 0.2 meters in the Okinawa islands or the Ogasawara islands, about a thousand kilometers south of Tokyo, in the Pacific Ocean.

Authorities are urging the public to stay away from the coasts

Weather authorities are urging the public to stay away from the coasts and river mouths as the waves are expected to arrive after 5:00pm (8:00 GMT), while the possible damage from the earthquake is being assessed.

The first tsunami waves were detected at 5:01 pm (8:01 GMT) in the port city of Nichinan, in front of the epicenter, where they reached 20 centimeters; followed by a tsunami of 10 cm in the port of Hyuga and half a meter in Miyazaki.

The operators of nuclear power plants in the region are reviewing the status of the reactors at the Sendai, in Kagoshima, and Ikata, in Ehime prefecture, plants, with no irregularities reported as a result of the earthquake .

BREAKING: Western Japan hit by 7.6 magnitude earthquake; Tsunami warning issued, reports emerge of the resulting damage.pic.twitter.com/J3EmwEQLog

– Search (@Top1Rating) August 8, 2024

There is currently no evidence that the earthquake has caused significant material damage or casualties in southwestern Japan, a country with high seismic activity and whose infrastructure is designed to withstand the earthquake resistance, as well as anti-tsunami barriers along its coasts. .

Earthquake rescue robots

At Miyazaki airport, where the earthquake was felt as a strong tremor that lasted half a minute, the glass of some windows was broken and service was suspended while the investigation runway, according to details gathered by public broadcaster NHK.

The same media reported a landslide on a rock in the town of Shibushi, as well as the collapse of a house in Osaki, in both cases in Kagoshima prefecture, although it is not known if there were any injuries.

As a result of the earthquake, local train lines in Miyazaki and Kagoshima were also suspended, and sections of highways in the area were cut off to review the situation.

The Government has established an emergency team in the Kantei, the prime minister’s office, to manage the investigation of the extent of the earthquake and to take measures quickly.

“The police, firefighters, members of the Autonomous Federal Forces (army) and coastguard teams are also paying attention to the evolution of the situation and are ready to act,” said a source the government Yoshimasa Hayashi spoke at a press conference, urging the local population to follow the updates about it in the media.

Experts are warning of possible aftershocks in the coming days and even that today’s earthquake could be a prelude to a bigger earthquake in Trench Nankai, one of the largest seismic activity points in the world and where they predict that will cause a strong earthquake. the decades to come. (DW information).