Japan Earthquake: 50 Injured, Widespread Damage in Kumamoto

Tokyo. At least 50 people have been injured in a powerful magnitude 7.1 earthquake that struck Japan's southern Kumamoto Prefecture on Tuesday.

The earthquake has caused power outages in thousands of homes and has severely affected roads, bridges, rail services, and air traffic. Japan's Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has stated that a full assessment of the human and material damage caused by the earthquake is being compiled. According to her, fires, power outages, damage to roads and bridges, and collapsed buildings have occurred in various locations.

According to Japanese media, more than 50 injured people have been admitted to one hospital alone. Some passengers traveling on high-speed trains during the earthquake were also injured. The earthquake has damaged many buildings. Local media reported an explosion at the Aeon shopping mall, while some other buildings have caught fire and are partially collapsed.

Major roads and flyover bridges have developed large cracks. A freight train has derailed, and all rail services have been temporarily suspended. Kumamoto Airport has also closed its runway, leading to many flights being canceled or diverted. The world's largest chip manufacturing company TSMC has stated that it has evacuated its employees from local factories for safety. Sony and Fujifilm have also informed that employees working in their industries have been moved to safe locations.

According to Japan's disaster management agency, more than 150,000 people have been instructed to evacuate to safe locations. The Japan Meteorological Agency initially issued a tsunami warning of about 1 meter in height. Later, the warning was withdrawn as the risk decreased. However, people have been urged to remain vigilant as powerful aftershocks may occur for about a week and there is also a risk of landslides.

According to Kyushu Electric Power, power supply has been cut off to about 40,000 homes due to the earthquake. Telecommunications companies KDDI and Docomo have also stated that mobile services have been affected due to problems with power and transmission lines. However, Japan's Nuclear Regulation Authority has stated that no unusual conditions have been observed at any nuclear power plants in the affected area.

In 2016, a devastating earthquake in the Kumamoto region caused 275 deaths and damaged thousands of buildings. Officials have stated that the earthquake this time has also caused some stone walls of the historic Kumamoto Castle to collapse.