Powerful Earthquake Strikes Southern Japan
A powerful magnitude-7.1 earthquake struck the Kumamoto region of southern Japan on Tuesday, damaging buildings and prompting a tsunami warning along the coast of Kyushu. A shopping mall was reported to have sustained serious damage, with people feared trapped inside; the number of casualties was not yet clear. Rescuers were searching the wreckage.
The quake was among the strongest to hit the region in years. Japan, which sits on the seismically active “Ring of Fire”, enforces some of the world’s most stringent building codes, but shallow, powerful earthquakes can still cause severe damage and loss of life. Authorities urged people near the coast to move to higher ground until the tsunami threat had passed. The full extent of the destruction — and any deaths — will become clearer as rescue teams reach the worst-hit areas and the aftershocks subside. Watch for the confirmed toll and the lifting of the tsunami warning.