A powerful earthquake hits Japan, tsunami warning issued

A powerful earthquake hits Japan, tsunami warning issued

Kyiv  •  UNN

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An earthquake of magnitude 7.1 has struck southwest Japan. Tsunami warnings were issued for several prefectures, and high-speed trains were suspended in Kyushu and Nishi-Kyushu.

An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 7.1 occurred in southwestern Japan on Thursday, a tsunami warning was issued for Kochi, Miyazaki and other prefectures, the Japan Meteorological Agency reported, UNN writes with reference to Kyodo.

Details

The earthquake at 16:43 local time occurred at a depth of about 30 kilometers near Miyazaki and was registered below 6 on the Japanese 7-point seismic intensity scale in the city of Nitinan in the southern part of the prefecture, the Japan Meteorological Agency reported. The magnitude was revised from 6.9.

The agency said it has launched an investigation to determine if there is a link between the tremors and a potential powerful trench-type earthquake along the Nankai Trench, which stretches from western to central Japan.

Tsunami warnings were issued for Kochi, Ehime, Oita, Miyazaki, and Kagoshima prefectures.

According to the operator, the earthquake has suspended the movement of high-speed shinkansen trains (a network of high-speed rail lines) in Kyushu and Nishi-Kyushu.