Luke Skywalker
Super Moderator
{vb:raw ozzmodz_postquote}:
xEmbed
xShare
Completely flattened houses and rubble were scattered in Mashiki, Kumamoto prefecture on Friday, one day after the magnitude 6.5 earthquake hit southern Japan, killing at least nine people. (April 15) AP
Rescue workers take care of an elderly woman after a 7.3 magnitude earthquake struck around Mashiki, Kumamoto, Japan. The earthquake hit Kumamoto prefecture for a second time following a 6.4 earthquake on April 14, 2016, that killed nine people.(Photo: Taro Karibe, Getty Images)
A new aftershock measuring 5.4 hit southern Japan early Saturday, following a 7.0-magnitude quake that killed at least six people overnight.
Kumamoto Prefectural official Tomoyuki Tanaka told The Associated Press that the death toll in the latest temblor was still unclear.
More than 400 people were reported injured.
A magnitude-6.5 quake struck late Thursday, killing 10 people. Aftershocks have been rattling various areas in Kyushu, one of Japan's main four islands.
Hundreds of patients were evacuated early Saturday from a<span style="color: Red;">*</span>hospital near collapse after a<span style="color: Red;">*</span>powerful magnitude-7.0 earthquake — the second major temblor in barely 24 hours<span style="color: Red;">*</span>— struck<span style="color: Red;">*</span>the southwest<span style="color: Red;">*</span>Japanese island of Kyushu, according to<span style="color: Red;">*</span>the U.S. Geological Survey.
Police said at least<span style="color: Red;">*</span>one person was confirmed dead in that quake.
The 500-bed city hospital in Kumamoto was one of several buildings nearly demolished by the quake,<span style="color: Red;">*</span>according to the Japanese broadcaster<span style="color: Red;">*</span>NHK.
First responders were also receiving calls<span style="color: Red;">*</span>from residents reporting people trapped inside houses and buildings, NHK reports. Video showed a resident, apparently rescued from underneath a collapsed house, on a stretcher being taken to a hospital by ambulance.
Tens of thousands of people reportedly fled their homes as the quake rocked the area around 1:25 a.m. local time early Saturday.<span style="color: Red;">*</span>In Uto, about 17 miles south of Kumamoto, the city hall partially collapsed,<span style="color: Red;">*</span>Kyodo News reports.
[h=4]Posted![/h]A link has been posted to your Facebook feed.
The<span style="color: Red;">*</span>earthquake was centered a half mile<span style="color: Red;">*</span>from Kumamoto, the capital city of the Kumamoto prefecture,<span style="color: Red;">*</span>according to the U.S. Geological Survey. The region is located on the southwestern-most main island of Kyushu, where 13 million people live.
Mashiki, a<span style="color: Red;">*</span>suburb of<span style="color: Red;">*</span>Kumamoto, was<span style="color: Red;">*</span>the worst-hit town in Thursday's quake, a<span style="color: Red;">*</span>magnitude-6.2.<span style="color: Red;">*</span>Prime Minister Shinzo Abe had planned to travel to the area Saturday, but canceled the trip following the second temblor, Kyodo News reports.
Saturday's quake was about<span style="color: Red;">*</span>6.3<span style="color: Red;">*</span>times bigger on a seismogram<span style="color: Red;">*</span>and 15.8 times stronger in its energy release<span style="color: Red;">*</span>than Thursday's temblor,<span style="color: Red;">*</span>according to the USGS.
About 5-10% of earthquakes are followed by a bigger one within a few days, said<span style="color: Red;">*</span>John Vidale, a seismologist at the University of Washington in Seattle. But magnitude-6 and larger quakes, especially so close to major cities, aren't common, he added.
"This one-two punch with a serious impact is fortunately quite rare," Vidale said.
Saturday’s quake occurred where two tectonic plates converge. The Philippine Sea plate is sliding under the Eurasia plate at a speed of about 2 inches a year,<span style="color: Red;">*</span>according to USGS.
Early Friday, rescuers pulled an eight-month-old baby girl from rubble in Mashiki after the magnitude-6.2<span style="color: Red;">*</span>quake struck the area at 9:26 p.m. the previous night.
The Japan Meteorological Agency said over 140 aftershocks were recorded by Friday evening and warned more<span style="color: Red;">*</span>strong tremors might occur<span style="color: Red;">*</span>in the coming days, Kyodo news agency reported.
More than 44,000 people sought shelter in schools and community centers after the quake hit Thursday, with some spending the night outdoors, Reuters reported.
USA TODAY
Powerful earthquake in Japan leaves 9 dead, hundreds injured
Buildings were damaged, highways crumbled and a bullet train was derailed by the quake, Japanese broadcaster NHK reported. It said no passengers were aboard the train and there were no injuries.
None of the nuclear power plants in the affected area reported damage, according to a statement released by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s office.
In 2011, an<span style="color: Red;">*</span>earthquake and tsunami struck northeastern Japan, killing more than 16,000 people. About 2,500 remain missing.
Contributing: Kirk Spitzer, Doyle Rice, USA TODAY
Powered By WizardRSS.com | Full Text RSS Feed