It was an afternoon that shook Japan to its core — literally.

A powerful 7.1-magnitude earthquake has struck Japan’s southwest, prompting officials to issue an urgent tsunami alert and plunging tens of thousands of homes into darkness.

Here’s what we know so far, via cbinews.tv:

The tremor hit at 4:27pm local time (0727 GMT) on Tuesday, centred on the island of Kyushu. According to the Japan Meteorological Agency, it registered at the very top of Japan’s own Shindo scale — a level seven, which is the highest possible shaking intensity.

And the danger isn’t over yet. The agency warned that tsunami waves of up to one metre (three feet) could be on the way — with broadcaster NHK reporting that waves of that size may have already been recorded.

The fallout was immediate. Around 45,000 households and facilities across the Kumamoto region have been left without power, local utility Kyushu Electric Power confirmed. Thankfully, there were no immediate abnormalities reported at nuclear plants, and three reactors operating in the region are said to be continuing as normal.

The scenes inside newsrooms told the story. About half an hour after the quake, an NHK staffer wearing a helmet was reporting live as the studio continued to shake violently.

“Shaking is continuing as I speak. Including myself, there may be some people who feel their hearts racing,” he said. “When the quake struck, the shaking was so big that I could not stand up.”

Of course, Japan knows this fear all too well. Back in 2016, Kumamoto was devastated by two huge quakes — a 6.5 and a 7.3 just two days apart — that killed 273 people and injured over 2,800.

Just last month, a 7.2-magnitude quake hit northern Japan on 25th June, though mercifully without major damage or deaths. And earlier this year on 20th April, a 7.7 tremor in the north injured at least 10 people and rattled buildings in Tokyo, prompting a special advisory for a potential quake of magnitude 8.0 or stronger.

It’s a stark reminder that Japan, home to around 125 million people and sitting on four major tectonic plates on the Pacific Ring of Fire, accounts for about 18% of the world’s earthquakes — experiencing hundreds of jolts every year.

Many will still remember the catastrophic 9.0-magnitude quake in 2011 that triggered a tsunami killing or leaving missing around 18,500 people and wrecking the Fukushima nuclear plant.

Authorities are urging residents to stay alert as aftershocks could continue.

Credit: cbinews.tv

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