A violent 7.1-magnitude earthquake in Japan unleashes a tsunami of up to half a metre: damages are being assessed

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Tokio.-A tsunami of up to half a metre hit the Pacific coast of southwestern Japan on Thursday after a 7.1 magnitude earthquake in the region, leaving at least two people slightly injured, while personal and material damages are still being assessed.

The Fire and Disaster Management Agency said three people were injured in Thursday’s quake. Two of them fell when the quake struck and another was hit by a falling object.

The quake occurred at 4:43 p.m. local time (4:43 a.m. in Argentina) at a depth of 30 kilometers in the Hyuga Sea, off the coast of Miyazaki Prefecture, on the southern island of Kyushu, according to details from the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA), which activated a tsunami alert of up to one meter in areas close to the epicenter.

The first waves of the tsunami were detected at 17:01 (5 in Argentina) in the port of the city of Nichinan, opposite the epicenter, where they reached 20 centimeters, later reaching 40 cm in the port of Aburatsu, in the same city.

The highest tsunami, measuring half a metre, was recorded in the port of Miyazaki, while other tsunamis measuring 30 centimetres were recorded in the city of Tosashimizu, Kochi Prefecture, on the neighbouring island of Shikoku; in the port of Shibushi, in Kagoshima (Kyushu) and in the city of Minamiosumi, in the same province, among other locations, without any reports of damage due to the phenomenon so far.

A rock slide and fallen power poles were reported in Nichinan town, causing traffic to be restricted on certain roads.

Local train lines in Miyazaki and Kagoshima have also been suspended due to the quake, and sections of highways in the area have been closed for inspections.

In the town of Osaki in Kagoshima, an old wooden house collapsed, with no injuries reported in the incident, and reports of collapsed walls and damaged roads.

In Kushima City, Miyazaki, authorities received reports of damaged and leaking pipes, and there could be further damage to other infrastructure as assessment continues.

Nuclear power plant operators in the region reported that no abnormalities or damage were detected at the reactors at the Sendai plant in Kagoshima and the Ikata plant in Ehime.

Residents in the affected areas took to social media to share images of overturned shelves in homes caused by the earthquake.

It is expected that more information will be available on the extent of the damage in the coming hours, especially as daylight approaches.

Seismologists from the Japan Meteorological Agency held an emergency meeting to discuss whether the quake had affected the nearby Nankai Trough, the source of devastating earthquakes in the past.

They later issued an assessment that the potential for a future earthquake in the area from Kyushu to central Japan is greater than previously anticipated. The agency said it will continue to closely monitor plate movements near the Nankai Trough.

That doesn’t mean there’s an imminent danger of a major earthquake in the near future, but residents along the coasts along the depression, which stretches for about 500 kilometers, were urged to review their earthquake preparedness, seismologist Naoshi Hirata of the University of Tokyo said at a joint news conference with JMA officials.

There is a 70% to 80% chance of a magnitude 8 or 9 quake coming from the Nankai Trough within the next 30 years, Hirara said, adding that Thursday’s quake increases that likelihood even though its exact timing and location cannot be predicted.Clarín.