Strong quake kills 2, injures 45 in Japan

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Earthquake magnitude 6.4 hits Japan



TOKYO: -- A magnitude 6.4 earthquake has hit southwestern Japan. At least two people have died, according to public broadcaster NHK.

The quake struck around 9.30pm local time, 11km east of Kumamoto on the island of Kyushu in the southwest of the country. It was followed by a 5.7 magitude quake thirty minutes later. A fire erupted in Mashiki near the epicentre.

Nineteen buildings have collapsed, and there are fears people could still be trapped under rubble.

Despite the magnitude of the quake nuclear facilities appear to be unaffected. The Nuclear Regulation Authority said they had no reports of irregularities.

Officials at Japan’s meteorological survey warned people to be on alert for aftershocks for the next few days, but no tsunami warning was issued.

In 2011 a quake of magnitude 9 caused a tsunami which killed nearly 20,000 people and triggered a meltdown at the Fukushima nuclear plant.

-- (c) Copyright Euronews 2016-04-15

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Strong quake kills 2, injures 45 in Japan
By MARI YAMAGUCHI

TOKYO (AP) — At least two people were killed and 45 injured by a magnitude-6.5 earthquake that knocked down houses and buckled roads in southern Japan on Thursday night.

Both victims are from the hardest-hit town of Mashiki, about 15 kilometers (9 miles) east of Kumamoto city on the island of Kyushu, said Kumamoto prefecture disaster management official Takayuki Matsushita.

Earlier, Japanese Red Cross Kumamoto Hospital said it had admitted or treated 45 people, including five with serious injuries.

The quake struck at 9:26 p.m. at a depth of 11 kilometers (7 miles) near Kumamoto city on the island of Kyushu, the Japan Meteorological Agency said. There was no tsunami risk.

"The shaking was so violent I couldn't stand still," said Hironobu Kosaki, a Kumamoto Prefectural Police night-duty official.

Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said at least 19 houses collapsed, and hundreds of calls came in reporting building damage and people buried under debris or trapped inside.

"Because of the night darkness, the extent of damage is still unclear," he said.

The damage and calls for help are concentrated in the town of Mashiki, about 1,300 kilometers (800 miles) southwest of Tokyo, Japan's Fire and Disaster Management Agency said

One of the victims in Mashiki died after being pulled from some rubble, and the other was killed in a fire, Matsushita said. A third person rescued from under a collapsed building is in a state of heart and lung failure.

Matsushita said rescue operations were repeatedly disrupted by aftershocks.

"There was a ka-boom and the whole house shook violently sideways," Takahiko Morita, a Mashiki resident said in a telephone interview with Japanese broadcaster NHK. "Furniture and bookshelves fell down, and books were all over the floor."

Morita said some houses and walls collapsed in his neighborhood, and water supply had been cut off.

Dozens of people evacuated their homes and gathered outside Mashiki town hall, sitting on tarps well after midnight. Some wrapped blankets around their shoulders against the springtime chill.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe told reporters that the government has mobilized police, firefighters and self-defense troops for the rescue operation.

"We'll carry out relief operation through the night," he said.

Suga said there no abnormalities at nearby nuclear facilities. The epicenter was 120 kilometers (74 miles) northeast of Kyushu Electric Power Co.'s Sendai nuclear plant, the only one operating in the country.

Most of Japan's nuclear reactors remain offline following the meltdowns at the Tokyo Electric Power Co.'s Fukushima plant in 2011 after a magnitude 9.0 earthquake triggered a huge tsunami.

Television footage showed fires breaking out in some places, with firefighters battling an orange blaze.

Keisukei Urata, an official in nearby Uki city who was driving home when the quake struck, told NHK that parts of the ceiling at Uki City Hall collapsed, windows broke and cabinets fell to the ground.

Kasumi Nakamura, an official in the village of Nishihara, said that the rattling started modestly and grew violent, lasting about 30 seconds.

"Papers, files, flower vases and everything fell on the floor," he told NHK.

There were multiple aftershocks, the largest one with a preliminary magnitude of 6.4 shortly after midnight, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency.

The U.S. Geological Survey measured the initial quake's preliminary magnitude at 6.2. It upgraded its damage assessment to red, meaning extensive damage is probable and the disaster likely widespread.

Footage from an NHK bureau in the area showed books, files and papers raining down to the floor. One employee appeared to have fallen off a chair, while others slid under their desks to protect their heads.


-- (c) Associated Press 2016-04-15

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Hundreds of casualties after magnitude 6 quake hits Japan
By Seamus Kearney

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TOKYO: -- A strong aftershock is caught on camera in Japan, just hours after a magnitude 6 quake hit the southwest of the country.

At least nine people are reported to have been killed and hundreds more have been injured.

There is widespread damage to buildings, although Japan’s nuclear watchdog says all power plants are operating normally.

Many people are still out on the streets, too afraid to stay indoors.

One man said: “I felt the ground shake, both vertically and horizontally.”

A woman said: “I was unable to keep standing.”

The quake struck close to the city of Kumamoto.

Fires have also broken out in some areas, accounting for at least one of the deaths.

Local media say at least 400 people have been treated in hospital.

Japan is still recovering from a powerful quake that killed almost 20,000 people in March 2011.


-- (c) Copyright Euronews 2016-04-15

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TOKYO (AP) - Japan government spokesman says 9 killed in strong quake on southern island of Kyushu.

[GinBoy2]

After being in Tokyo during the 2011 mega quake, Japan has the most well equipped infrastructure to cope.

I'm Californian, lived through multiple earthquakes, but I was on the 22nd floor of a building in 2011 when the magnitude 9 hit. The fact that all the utilities stayed on, nothing collapsed, in fact I was IM'ing my boss back in the States throughout the whole event, is a tribute to the Japanese.

I hope that this events doesn't result in too many fatalities, but again if any country on this planet is prepared, its Japan

[ExpatLife]

Only a matter of time to be honest before one hits in and around Fukushima rendering it even more <deleted> up

[Shawn0001]

After being in Tokyo during the 2011 mega quake, Japan has the most well equipped infrastructure to cope.

I'm Californian, lived through multiple earthquakes, but I was on the 22nd floor of a building in 2011 when the magnitude 9 hit. The fact that all the utilities stayed on, nothing collapsed, in fact I was IM'ing my boss back in the States throughout the whole event, is a tribute to the Japanese.

I hope that this events doesn't result in too many fatalities, but again if any country on this planet is prepared, its Japan

It is true that Japan is leading the world in this respect, but I wonder how equal these measures are across the archipelago, there are of course some very poor people in Japan who perhaps do not have the best quality of construction within their homes.

[neal david]

makes me wonder just how the army junta would cope if it hit bangkok .....more than likely they would blame farangs again ....one day ..... just one day it might happen.....

Edited April 15, 2016 by neal david

[snoop1130]

Search for survivors begins after earthquake shakes southern Japan
Euronews

"Our first priority is the safety of residents"

• At least nine dead
• Hundreds injured
• No damage to nuclear plants reported
• 3000 emergency workers sent to area – Abe

The news

The search has begun for survivors who may be trapped in buildings toppled by a major earthquake in southern Japan.

At least nine people have been killed in the town of Mashiki near Kumamoto city on the island of Kyushu.

Almost 1,000 have been injured.

More than 44,000 people have been evacuated from their homes and have spent the night in schools and community centres.

Strong aftershocks are continuing to shake the area around the city of Kumamoto in the wake of the 6.0 magnitude tremor.

Nuclear concerns

No problems have been reported at nuclear plants in the area.

Japan’s Nuclear Regulation Authority says there are no irregularities at three nuclear plants on the major southern island of Kyushu and nearby Shikoku.

The magnitude was much lower than the March 2011 earthquake that set off a tsunami and led to nuclear meltdowns at Fukushima.

However, the intensity was similar as it struck on land and the epicentre was at a much shallower depth.

Infrastructure affected

^
Service on the Shinkansen superfast train service in Kyushu was halted after one train was derailed.

Highways have been closed after some sections collapsed.

Around 12,300 households have been left without electricity.

The Honda Motor Company suspended output at its motorcycle factory near Kumamoto.

Sony Corp, Mitsubishi Electric Corp and tyre manufacturer Bridgestone Corp also suspended operations at their factories in the area.

What they are saying

“Our house was destroyed but we are all so, so that is what counts,” – a Kumamoto resident.

“We will do everything in our power to ensure the safety of local residents” – Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe says more than 3,000 troops, police and firefighters have been despatched to the region.

-- (c) Copyright Euronews 2016-04-15

[Kiwiken]

My sympathy to the Japanese people affected by these quakes. I know it is only a matter of time before my home City of Christchurch cops something similar. The tectonic plates seem definitely to be on the move

[Mudcrab]

As they always have been.